DIYWEEK.net

Wyevale Garden Centres has confirmed that it has acquired Trelawney's garden centre at Ashford, near Barnstaple, north Devon.
Blue Diamond announced last month that it had bought Trelawney's two Cornish centres, in Wadebridge and Probus - which has still to be built. diyweek.net said at the time that it believed Wyevale had taken the third, which is called Trelawney@Ashford, though Wyevale said it would not comment "on rumours or speculation".

The 28,000sq ft Trelawney@Ashford garden centre will bring the size of Wyevale's estate to 142 centres and will be renamed Ashford Barnstaple, a Wyevale Garden Centre. The site, which was bought by Trelawney in 2005, is a purpose-built centre with beautiful views over the Taw estuary and attractive positioning near coastal areas, with a strong customer base.

David Danning, Trelawney co-owner with David Symons, said: "It has been our pleasure to own this centre and to learn how to manage a multi-site business as we have expanded Trelawney.

"However, our plans for the future have changed over the last year and the timing of an offer for the site came along at the right time for us and for the business. Investment from Wyevale Garden Centres will create opportunities that will be of great benefit to our employees, and I would like to thank our staff for all they have done for us over the last nine years."

Wyevale chief executive Kevin Bradshaw added: "With a strong heritage going back more than 40 years, Ashford's garden centre is renowned for the excellent quality of its plants and products as well as its welcoming family atmosphere.

"This acquisition supports our strategy to grow our business by acquiring exceptionally high-quality garden centres in the UK, and we are absolutely delighted to welcome Trelawney Ashford's customers and employees to our business."