Rumours are abound that the Garden & Leisure chain is up for sale - and the Garden Centre Group is frontrunner to buy the seven centre business.
According to a recent article in Horticulture Week, Notcutts and Blue Diamond are also allegedly in the running to buy the £40m turnover business.

G&L, which is owned by French company Truffaut, controls Cadbury, Barnett Hill, Gardenlands, Endsleigh, Melbicks, Percy Thrower's and Huntingdon garden centres. Cadbury and Endsleigh were sold to La Salle Investment Management in 2006 before being leased back to original G&L founders Kenn and Jackie Lloyd, who have now retired.

The business is currently run by chief executive Neville Prest and operations director Carol Paris, both of whom declined to comment on the rumours.

While the GCG has remained tight-lipped about its future expansion plans, the company recently bought Barton Grange's Bolton garden centre, with ceo Kevin Bradshaw describing the acquisition as "further strengthening our position as the largest plant and garden-focused retailer in the UK."

The move marked the first significant addition to the 129 Garden Centre Group since it was taken over by Terra Firma last year.

Read more in the July 12 edition of DIY Week.