Nicholas Marshall, who left The Garden Centre Group on 8 October after the decision by new owners Terra Firma to replace him, is no stranger to speculation.

Having rescued the former Wyevale group from the brink of calamity after the Tom Hunter years and injected fresh life into its garden centres, Marshall now finds himself with no business to manage for the first time in more than 25 years. His own Country Homes & Garden outlets were absorbed by Terra Firma late this summer.

But what will he choose to do next? Speculation by those close to him suggests he is not ready to sever his connections with garden retailing and that we can expect to see a venture from him sooner or later. GTN Xtra tried to make contact with him to find out what shape it might take, but he was unavailable to take our call as this issue neared deadline.

In the meantime, The Garden Centre Group, which is now under the control of its new non-executive chairman Stephen Murphy, has briefed headhunters to search for a new CEO. Terra Firma are reported to be looking to radically transform the group, with revenue growth a priority, followed by acquisition of more centres and groups.

The appointment of Murphy, who was Richard Branson’s successor as group CE at Virgin, sends a strong signal to the trade about Terra Firma’s confidence in the potential of garden retailing and their own ability to further develop the chain in an increasingly-competitive sector.

Terra Firma would prefer their new CEO to have a background in running a large retail operation but are not ruling out a non-retailer.

One thing is certain. Until the new management team is in place, speculation about the possibility of further re-structuring at The Garden Centre Group will continue apace.