The Garden Centre Group has acquired Barton Grange's Bolton branch to add to the 129 garden centres already within the group.
It is the first significant addition to The Garden Centre Group since it came under the ownership last year of private equity firm Terra Firma. Other leading garden centre names that come under the group umbrella include Blooms, Country Gardens and Wyevale, all located throughout the UK.

Family-run Barton Grange Group now has just one garden centre, at Brock, near Preston, which this year, for the second year running, was awarded the title Destination Garden Centre of the Year by the Garden Centre Association. It was opened in 2008, and sits alongside a landscaping business, three nurseries and a hotel within the group.

All staff at the Bolton garden centre will continue to work there under the Garden Centre Group.

Commenting on the deal, Barton Grange managing director Guy Topping said: "The decision to sell Bolton was many months in the making but we finally concluded that the best way forward for our business was to concentrate our efforts on the further development of our larger garden centre near Preston.

"I've been personally involved with Barton Grange Bolton from the very beginning, even helping to build the garden centre. I would like to thank all the staff at Bolton and the many loyal customers who have contributed to its success during our years there.

"The business is now well placed to build on that success with the backing of The Garden Centre Group."

The Garden Centre Group CEO Kevin Bradshaw described Bolton Garden Centre as a "great property". He said the group would be expanding the range and quality of plants at the centre as well as offering customers membership of The Gardening Club, to which over 2m people are already signed up.

"This acquisition further strengthens our position as the largest plant- and garden-focused retailer in the UK," he added.

More than 90% of The Garden Centre Group's plant stock is British-grown, much of it in its own nurseries. The business employs more than 5,000 staff.

Gilbert Evans advised Barton Grange on the deal.