Dobbies is set to open a new 48,000 sq ft centre in Lisburn, Belfast tomorrow, its first centre in Northern Ireland.
The company continues to expand with an £8.6m investment at the centre on Saintfield road, which has created 120 jobs in the area. The new building adheres to the environmentally-friendly construction model first seen at the Aberdeen centre which opened in March.

Dobbies chief executive James Barnes said: "We are delighted to open our first Garden World in Northern Ireland which we believe is a concept for a new generation of garden centres in the Province.

The Garden World is in keeping with our provenance and heritage as expert horticulturalists since 1865 whilst providing a modern destination for today's consumer. We're looking forward to welcoming our first Northern Irish customers, who we hope will love Dobbies and our new-concept Lisburn centre."

Lisburn is the company's 26th centre in the UK. Four new centres, set to open in spring 2011, are being built in West Lothian, Renfrewshire, Cumbria and Kent.

The Lisburn centre will also house a Farm Foodhall, a 350-seater restaurant and an educational greenhouse resource centre.