DIYWEEK.net

Wyevale Garden Centres (WGC) announced today that it has acquired Crowders Garden Centre of Horncastle, Lincolnshire, bringing its estate to 153 centres across England and Wales.
Privately-owned family firm Crowders has been in the horticultural business for over two centuries, with the seventh generation of Crowders now at the helm. Along with the garden centre and its Redwood café and restaurant, the business incorporates Crowders Nurseries, a nationally-renowned wholesale grower of native and ornamental trees, shrubs and hardy plants for the trade, which falls outside the sale to WGC.

WGC chief executive Kevin Bradshaw commented: "I would like to take this opportunity to emphasise that, moving forward, it is very much business as usual at Crowders. The Crowder family has been serving the community since 1798, and so we plan to work closely with the team and the Horncastle community to decide how best to preserve the business' unparalleled history.

"We are thrilled that centre manager Ken Dawson and the team will be staying on and are committed to helping us map out the centre's future."

Robert Crowder added: "As a seventh generation owner of Crowders, I am pleased to say that Wyevale Garden Centres' enthusiasm and determination to preserve our heritage assures me that they will continue to serve Horncastle with the same excellent standards we always have.

"WGC has promised to invest in our people, retain and enhance our diverse offering as well as work closely with our team to develop the centre.

"The Crowder family will retain and develop the rest of the business, which includes the wholesale nursery and online business, and we will work closely with WGC to ensure there is smooth transition of ownership."