DIYWEEK.net

The Garden Centre Group has acquired Cheddar and Lechlade Garden Centres from the Park Garden Centres company in the west country. This now brings the total number of the Group's outlets to 132.
These are the second and third significant purchases by The Garden Centre Group since it was taken over by Terra Firma last year. It bought Barton Grange's Bolton garden centre in June this year.

Kevin Bradshaw, ceo of The Garden Centre Group, said: "Cheddar and Lechlade are excellent garden centres with established customer bases. We are very pleased to have acquired them and look forward to integrating them into our Group. These acquisitions further strengthen our position as the largest plant and garden retailer in the UK."

Park Garden Centres now only has one site - the Almondsbury Garden Centre near Bristol. The business was founded there in 1933 by the same family that runs it today. The Cheddar Garden Centre, which opened in 2006, was the company's flagship store.

Phil Hodges is the director of Park Garden Centres and he said, "I have been personally involved with Cheddar and Lechlade from the very beginning, building the garden centres from scratch into what they are today. These businesses are now well placed to build on that success with the backing of The Garden Centre Group and Terra Firma."