Hillier is to stop distributing plants outside its own garden centre group unless they are grown on a contract basis.

The group said the move followed completion last week of its acquisition from Wyevale Garden Centres of centres currently undergoing refits at  Cheddar, Dorking, Lechlade and Marlow.

It added that the acquisitions had opened up opportunities for Hillier Wholesale (shrub and herbaceous sales to retail outlets). A £1million investment will enhance the facilities at the Hampshire nursery and from December, plants grown there will only be distributed to and available to buy from Hillier centres or through contract growing.

Chris Francis, director of retail and wholesale at Hillier, said: “Hillier have a reputation for great quality plants. It’s fantastic to have the opportunity to focus the nursery on growing plants for our own centres and their customers. Acquiring these four new centres and expanding our portfolio to 16 in total, means that our nursery is able grow an even greater volume of product for our own centres in the future. Along with the new investment, this enables us to continue to innovate, building on the top quality horticulture that Hillier is known for.”

The company has confirmed that with no external sales, there will be no need for a sales team so redundancies will be made, although efforts would be made to retain staff in other positions.