Haskins Garden Centres has welcomed Wendy Axford as its new Chief Financial Officer to spearhead the brand’s long-term business strategy and drive ongoing transformation across its garden centre portfolio.

Wendy brings a wealth of experience to Haskins, having worked in high-level financial positions across sectors including retail, FMCG, manufacturing, and agriculture. She held previous roles at Hillier as Finance Director, and Vitacress, where she worked as Finance Director for its UK tomato business.

She commented: “I met Warren Haskins and Julian Winfield several years ago and was impressed by their industry knowledge and experience, so I’m thrilled to now join them and become part of an established, trusted garden retail brand. Haskins is known and loved by its customers for its high-quality offering across its sites. It’ll be great to bring fresh perspectives to help strengthen the brand’s existing reputation in the industry.”

Haskins’ new appointment comes as the brand introduces new enhancements across the business to adapt to changing customer needs, including new digital capabilities. The brand launched a new customer app on iOS and Android earlier this year, giving users access to special offers, competitions, and purchase tracking.

Haskins is also continuing to invest in its centres, with its West End site due to undergo a significant refurbishment across its restaurant and retail spaces at the end of the year.

Wendy continued: “It’s an exciting time to join Haskins as it undergoes a period of transformation, and I’ll be focussing on adding value by applying learnings from my previous career experience. For me, efficiency is critical to driving profitability and managing costs, ensuring every aspect of a business is working seamlessly together.

“The retail industry is constantly facing significant challenges, from economic pressures to changing consumer behaviours. It’s more important than ever before to have a solid business model in place to navigate such challenges. Haskins is in a strong position as all areas of the business emulate its consistent, high-quality standards. I look forward to working closely with teams across the whole business to futureproof the brand’s success.”

Haskins has approximately 750 employees, with five garden centres across the south of England including Dorset, Hampshire, Sussex, and Surrey. The business also owns Birdworld in Farnham. To find out more about the brand, visit https://www.haskins.co.uk/.