Tesco-owned Dobbies Garden Centres, the largest UK garden centre chain behind the Garden Centre Group, has reported its strongest Christmas sales in the company's history.
The five weeks to January 3 saw sales rise by 5.8% on a like-for-like basis, with online sales pulling away with a 22% increase.

Strong sellers included all the Christmas staples such as real trees, poinsettias, wreaths and traditional accessories. Food sales growth, while positive, was below average with the restaurants seeing a 3.5% rise and the chain's farm food halls seeing a 2.8% increase.

The news follows the announcement earlier this week that the Garden Centre Group reporting a 17% rise in gross profit over the Christmas period, despite sales at a similar level to 2008.