Tesco-owned garden centre chain aims to quadruple its number of outlets over the next eight years with a number of new branches to be built alongside supermarkets.
As part of plans to increase its chain of outlets from 25 to 100, Dobbies has announced plans to co-locate a number of new centres with Tesco stores across the UK.

A spokesperson for the company said: "Dobbies has been in talks with Tesco to build Dobbies stores alongside new branches of Tesco as part of this company's aim to expand its 25-strong chain to 100 outlets within the next eight years."

According to the company, the first Tesco-Dobbies site could be announced later this year.

Dobbies will also launch its Dobbies-branded compost in larger Tesco stores in Scotland and northern England this spring.

Dobbies chief executive James Barnes said the decision was part of a wider strategy to roll out a range of products, including tools and plants, into Tesco branches later in the year. He explained: "It will be a first. It's leveraging the Dobbies brand through Tesco. It gives us bigger exposure south of the border, which is new territory for us."

Last month Dobbies reported its best ever Christmas, with like-for-like sales up 5.8% in the five weeks to January 3. Online sales also saw an impressive 22% increase.