Longacres Garden Centre Ltd has announced their acquisition of Bourne Valley Garden Centre in Addlestone, Surrey.

The site has been in the Elding family for over 70 years. Current owner Paul Elding said "A big thank you to all employees past and present, and of course to all of our customers over the years." After nearly a quarter of a century in charge Paul will enjoy a well-earned retirement!

Managing Director Nigel Long said "Bourne Valley is a natural fit for Longacres, with a solid core gardening offering, a loyal customer base and scope for improvement, new ranges and expansion. The restaurant is obviously already a great success and we will be applying a very light touch here."

The purchase takes the number of sites in the Longacres group to six, alongside existing centres at Bagshot, Bybrook Barn, Chelmsford, Chobham and Shepperton.

The Longacres team has extensive plans to improve the site, which will start immediately with work on a new checkout area and the addition of a brand new cut flower department. Following this will be location moves for houseplants (to the front of the store) and the seasonal department.

Longacres is a family-run business, that began life as a flower and vegetable nursery on land in Bagshot, Surrey in the 1970s. Managing Director Nigel Long introduced the move to retailing in the 1980s, and runs the business with his sisters Carol and Julie.