Threaplands Garden Centre at Elgin in Morayshire has new owners.
Writing on their facebook page, Ben Laing (above) says: "I can finally confirm the rumours. Threaplands has new owners.
"For the past 30 years or so Threaplands has been welcoming you to buy plants and fresh cut Christmas trees as well as landscaping your gardens with brothers Scott and Grant Higgins and family steadily growing the business. Recent years have seen some dramatic changes with the building of the first purpose built garden centre in Moray.
"In 2014 I joined the company as part of Grant’s landscaping team after 10 years in the motor trade. I knew Scott and Grant had a dream of a new centre with a restaurant and naively set out to achieve this with no catering experience between us. This was a huge step both in the restaurant but also into the world of retail. If we knew the challenges we would face back in the days when we just had a couple of portacabins and some polytunnels, would we have done it? Yes but differently is the answer but as we now grow, I firmly believe the pain has been worth it.
"In 2018 the Laing family invested in the company when the new garden centre was being built. Since that initial step, I became a director and my father has become an integral part of the business. Our involvement has grown to a level that when Scott Higgins retired in 2022, and Grant Higgin’s focus being on the landscaping business, it was the natural step for us to takeover the garden centre.
"Scott is now enjoying his retirement travelling in his motorhome with wife Linda whilst Grant owns and runs Threapland Landscaping, a completely separate business from the garden centre. If you need your garden landscaped, he can be contacted directly through the landscaping Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/GrantHiggins66.
"It has been an incredible journey and we are very thankful you have been part of our continued growth.
"In the photograph below are my father Neil, myself, and my daughter Olivia who now works in the business at 13 (making sandwiches on the day the picture was taken). Three generations of the Laing family look forward to your support as we bring changes through 2024 and beyond making Threaplands a destination for everyone to enjoy.
"Thank you, Ben"
