Following last week’s acquisition of Trelawney  Garden Centre in Cornwall, Blue Diamond have re-affirmed their growth ambitions with an offer of confidential discussions for owners considering selling up or leasing their sites.

Blue Diamond MD Alan Roper says the group, which targets ABC1 consumers, is focused on steady organic growth and is always looking for freehold and leasehold opportunities.

Leaseholds enable garden centre owners to retain their freehold interest and receive a rental income. Roper says he would be happy to discuss this with owners on a confidential basis.

Guernsey-based Blue Diamond, who operate 15 garden centres with combined turnover forecast to exceed £70m in 2014, increased like-for-like turnover by 16 per cent in the first half of this year, with profits up 30 per cent against 2013. With the addition of the Trelawney business, Roper says he expects turnover to top £80m in 2015.

Blue Diamond is now the third largest garden centre group in the UK based on turnover, behind Wyevale and Dobbies. Notcutts has more outlets but its turnover is lower.

Redfields Garden Centre (one of the group’s largest) where the second phase of a major re-development opened in September, is to be the group’s template for the next 10 years, Roper says. He believes the outlet, near Fleet in Hampshire, represents a step-change in garden centre retailing.

The November issue of Garden Trade News carries a picture special on the planteria at the new Redfields. The December-January issue, will feature a special report on the indoor space, including the newly-opened phase two development.