Aldridge's Wyevale Garden Centre closing within months after sale agreed
A garden centre in Walsall will close its doors in the next six months after being sold.
The Wyevale Garden Centre in Aldridge – which was on the market for £800,000 – has been snapped up by the UKS Group which intends to develop the Chester Road site.
The company says it will consult with colleagues impacted by the proposal and considering ‘all reasonable measures’ in order to mitigate compulsory job losses.
Roger Mclaughlan, chief executive of Wyevale Garden Centres, said: “We are pleased to have agreed the sale of five of our garden centres.
“In the case of those centres which have been sold for alternative use, we are very pleased to honour our commitments to our colleagues and partners and will seek to redeploy our excellent colleagues in our other garden centres wherever possible in coming months.
“We would like to thank our great colleagues at these centres, who have been central to our turnaround in the past few years.”
Fifteen Wyevale garden centres have found new owners since May.
The Walsall site was announced as one of five, with Brooks, Nailsworth, Keynsham and Shirley also sold.
It is expected to continue to operate as garden centres for up to six months after completion of the sale.
Anthony Jones, chief financial officer of the centres, added: “These sales reflect our continued pursuit of positive outcomes for our colleagues, concession partners, suppliers and customers as part of the ongoing sale process.
“We are very grateful for the dedication and commitment of the teams at these centres, and we’ll continue to support them through the transition.”
Wyevale Garden Centres has received a significant number of offers for all or part of the remaining WGC business from national, regional and financial operators as well as local entrepreneurs.
The Gardenlands Garden Centre in Bridgnorth Road, Pattingham, Wolverhampton, is among those up for sale, with a price tag of £3.4 million.
Also on the market are Wolseley Bridge Garden Centre, near Rugeley, and Shenstone Garden Centre, off the M6 Toll, near Lichfield.
A guide price of £8.5m has been put on the Shenstone centre in Birmingham Road, while the Wolseley Bridge site is expected to fetch up to £3.8m.
