Wyevale Garden Centres  announced this afternoon that it had acquired Woodcote Green Garden Centre, based in Wallington, Surrey.

WGC say they aim to maintain and enhance the business’s reputation for excellence in garden products retailing and customer service.

In 2015, Woodcote Green was awarded the Best Retail Outlet of the Year at the Garden Retail Awards and was also recognised for its commitment to employee development. “WGC intends to work closely with the existing Woodcote Green Garden Centre team on the development plans for the future of the centre,” the announcement said.

Welcoming the Woodcote Green team to Wyevale, chief executive Kevin Bradshaw said it would be “very much business as usual” while WGC took time to learn from all its new colleagues.

“We are extremely pleased that our colleagues and senior management team will be staying and are committed to helping us plan the centre’s development,” he added. “We will work hard to retain the legacy and heritage of this unique site, which has significant roots and has served its community for almost 60 years. It will help to strengthen our national presence and will reinforce our position of providing the ‘very best of local and national’ in garden centre retailing.”

Chris Milan of Woodcote Green said: “WGC’s commitment to investing in its people and providing excellent quality of service and products makes me optimistic that the group will serve our community with the same heart and passion that our team has had for decades. Their pledge to conserve our diverse offering, to work closely with our management team and their promise to invest in the centre in the coming years, leaves me confident about the future of Woodcote Green.”