Garden & Leisure Group MD Neville Prest has announced he is to leave, following the takeover by the The Garden Centre Group.

Dave Murray, finance director at Garden & Leisure, becomes the acting MD, while marketing director John Moseley assumes buying team responsibilities following the decision by operations director Carol Paris to move full-time to the HTA.

The Garden Centre Group’s CEO, Kevin Bradshaw, thanked Prest  Neville for his “significant contribution” over the last 15 years. “Under Neville’s leadership, the business has grown from a single site at Cadbury into a chain of seven high-quality, destination garden centres which now sit proudly within The Garden Centre Group portfolio. We wish him all the very best in his future endeavours."

Neville Prest said the hard working and and loyal Garden & Leisure team should be very proud of their achievements. “I look forward to watching the centres grow and thrive as part of The Garden Centre Group family,” he added.