Redfields Garden Centre in Hampshire is to be redeveloped with Blue Diamond, who will then take over the new centre.
Owners Malcolm and Anne Goater have run the centre for 32 years and will oversee the redevelopment, for which they have sought planning permission for a number of years.

Blue Diamond md Alan Roper welcomed the staff at Redfields, who will all be staying on, in an opening speech at the Fleet garden centre this morning.

Redfields was previously a member of independent garden centre group Choice Marketing.

Speaking to DIY Week, Mr Goater said: "I'm very happy that the staff will be well treated, I think that is very important. We have been extremely happy with Choice Marketing, and it was only to facilitate the redevelopment of the centre that we had to give up our membership with them They have been very supportive of us as an independent."

He added: I will now be looking after the redevelopment before handing it over to Blue Diamond. Both sides are very positive."

Mr Roper told DIY Week that he hopes building will start in the next 12 months, as part of a phase development which will allow the business to continue trading.

"This will give us the opportunity to build a sizeable business," he said. "The new centre will be 6,000sq m, and will be completely different in its look to what we've done before."

He continued: "Redfield has excellent demographics, with 70% of the population in this area in the AB group, that's why we bought the centre. The key thing we deliver is point of difference, and that's what this demographic is looking for."

Mr Roper is currently working on the design of the centre, which includes two restaurants, and estimates completion of the development to be within about two and a half years.

The new development will take the number of Blue Diamond garden centres to twelve.