Wyevale Garden Centres has sold 11 more centres to four separate buyers –  British Garden Centres, The Plant Area Limited (t/a Clandon Park Garden Centre), Coolings Garden Centres and Maidenhead Aquatics...

British Garden Centres have acquired eight centres – Albrighton, Birchencliffe, Bressingham, Gardenlands, Hemel Hempstead, Louth, Tarporley and Wolseley Bridge – to add to the six bought previously, bringfing their total estate to 24 sites.

The Plant Area Limited, who have operated Clandon Park Garden Centree near Guildford since 2003, have acquired Woking Garden Centre,

Coolings Garden Centres will acquire Wych Cross.

Maidenhead Aquatics will acquire Dummer garden centre.

WGC's CEO Anthony Jones said the deals took the total number sold to 101 since the sale process began. "I’m delighted that these 11 centres will remain as garden centres and would like to thank all colleagues for their commitment and contribution and wish them all well for the future,” he added in the conventional post-sale statement.

Charles Stubbs, MD of British Garden Centres said: “We are proud to announce the purchase of these additional centres into our rapidly expanding British Garden Centres family. Phillippa, Robert and I and all the British Garden Centres teams are looking forward to supporting the new centres in the set up for the autumn/winter trading period. We would like to express our thanks to all involved in this complex purchase process.”

Lee Wong, MD at Clandon Park Garden Centre said: “Clandon Park has been under our independent ownership since 2003 and we are delighted to welcome all the staff at Woking Garden Centre into our company. The two centres serve different towns, but are less than 20 minutes apart and already share many customers offering significant opportunities to work and grow together.”

Paul Cooling, chairman of the third generation family business said: "The whole team at Coolings is looking forward to welcoming their new colleagues from Wych Cross. The centre and nursery has a great reputation for roses, and is a great fit for Coolings. After completion the centre will close temporarily for refurbishment and will re-open as Wych Cross Nursery on Friday 23 August."

David Lawrence, MD of Maidenhead Aquatics said “Maidenhead Aquatics are pleased to have acquired Dummer Garden Centre. Having traded from the site for over ten years as a concession it was an opportunity to secure both the future of the site as a local traditional garden centre as well as enhancing and securing our existing specialist aquatics offering. We very much look forward to working with the existing team and further improving the centre.”

WGC now has 43 garden centres plus four centres. Guy Hands, CEO of owners Terra Firma, has  told GTN Xtra that all the remaining centres willbe sold by the end of the year. At last week's HTA National Plant Show, rumours were circulating about a number of other sales in the pipeline.