Haskins is putting new drive behind its ambition to expand, with the appointment of a chartered surveyor to seek out new sites.
The Dorset-based company currently operates four garden centres but has long said that it would like to add a fifth and sixth. Now, Haskins has brought Johnson Fellows on board and instructed it to find seven to 10-acre freehold, roadside sites in locations ranging from St Albans and Swindon in the south to Solihull and Bromsgrove in the West Midlands.

Haskins chief executive Julian Winfield has told DIY Week in the past that any new garden centres would need to be within three hours from Bournemouth.

"We're actively looking for fifth and sixth garden centres, but we're fussy and want to be sure we can make a profit out of them," he said.

Johnson Fellows consultant Ken Salway said: "Haskins is a very successful family-owned company with four destination garden centres...It's a successful business model which they want to replicate at sites within a three-hour drive of their head office. Sites we will consider must have a retail catchment population in excess of 150,000 people."

He said that two possible sites had already been identified, while a further six were being researched.

Haskins saw a modest rise in sales in the 12 months to February 2014, up 1.8% to £26.6m. Operating profit was down 9.4% to £2.8m but pre-tax profit rose 1.7% to £3.3m.