Andy King, the Chief Executive of Notcutts Garden Centres, has quit the company to join the Tesco Group. The move comes a week after the announcement that Dobbies CEO James Barnes and Finance Director Sharon Brown had left the Tesco-owned garden centre business.
In a statement Notcutts said that after five and a half years of successful leadership, Andy King has decided that the time is right to move on, in order to take advantage of a significant career opportunity at the Tesco Group.
The statement continued: "Both the Notcutts family and all those who have worked with him are very grateful to Andy for the contribution he has made to Notcutts, and for the professional and commercial focus that he has brought to the business during his tenure as CEO.
"The search for a new CEO has already started, and Notcutts are confident that they will be able to appoint a first class successor to Andy, given the quality, brand and reputation of the Notcutts Group and the progress made under Andy’s stewardship.
"Finance Director Andrew Staff will take the role of interim CEO following Andy’s departure. The strength and depth of the current management team will ensure that the business continues to be run as normal until the new appointment is made."
Edward Creasy, Chairman of Notcutts, said: “Andy has worked with great commitment to develop Notcutts as a company and a brand over the last five years and he leaves the company in excellent shape. We wish him the very best as he moves on to the next stage of his career."
Notcutts is a family-owned group of 19 individual garden centres, each with their own distinct character. The company was started in 1897 and since that time its name has stood for excellence in gardening, offering what it believes to be the best products and friendly advice to help its customers.
