Specialist business property adviser Christie & Co has been instructed to market Pillaton Garden Centre, a family-run garden centre near Penkridge in South Staffordshire.

The 5.5-acre site is immaculately presented and contains well-specified plant growing facilities, a large covered external retail area, a popular tea room/restaurant which serves around 100 covers, outside seating, and a circa 140-space car park. The site’s characterful buildings have been sensitively refurbished and modernised over the years, and the centre is known for offering a unique high-end retail experience and for its excellent tea room.

The centre is well-known for its home-grown bedding plants and shrubs produced in poly tunnels, some of which are heated by a recently installed ground source heat pump which significantly reduces energy costs.

Situated in a prominent position on a busy road between Stafford and Wolverhampton, the centre offers considerable scope for further growth under new ownership, such as the development of the plant sales side of the business, introducing new concessions to add revenue streams, increasing the outside seating space, and hosting more events on-site.

The centre has been owned and run by Paul and Sarah Heathcote for many years. Sarah commented, “We have had the best time at Pillaton Garden Centre, creating a luxury centre for everyone to enjoy where almost everything is home grown, and in the tea room, everything is homemade by us! 

“Every year, the garden centre has grown in footfall, and our customers are so loyal, they come back year after year. Everything we have done is aesthetically pleasing to the highest standard – it has taken a lot of time and work to achieve this, but when you walk into the centre or tea room and see it buzzing with people enjoying themselves, it’s well worth all the hard work. 

“Pillaton was just a piece of land before we started, and now it is a fantastic, profitable business that we are so proud of. A huge thanks go to our conscientious staff who have helped us grow into the business we are today. 

“The business now needs to move on to the next level, with further investment to grow even more. We look forward to seeing who will take on this fantastic garden centre and go on to create their own dreams and aspirations. The centre is a super investment, and with the fantastic staff we already have, you need very little knowledge of garden centres to succeed. It will run itself!”

Tom Glanvill, Director at Christie & Co, is managing the sale and said, “Pillaton garden centre is a charming site offering top-quality plants and top-quality team rooms. The site has huge potential to grow the horticultural and garden centre sales, as well as the opportunity for more events to make the most of the large grounds around the centre. It would be an ideal bolt-on for an existing garden centre operator looking to expand, as the business has a strong and experienced team. It would also be an ideal opportunity for a buyer looking to enter the sector. In 2024, almost 50% of the garden centres we sold were purchased by people who were new to the industry, many of whom are now looking for a second site!”

The centre freehold is on the market with price on application. To find out more, visit: https://www.christie.com/4211101/