Green fingers keep Garden Centre Group in mix

Britain’s biggest garden centre chain has seen sales blossom thanks to green-fingered festive shoppers.

The Garden Centre Group, which has 129 outlets south of the Border and was formerly known as Wyevale, has reported a 17 per cent year-on-year jump in Christmas sales.

It benefited from a 90 per cent surge in sales of plants, with Christmas lights up 26 per cent and sales of pet products 147 per cent higher.

Chief executive Nicholas Marshall said: “We have got the mix of products and pricing spot on, and our customers have responded well to that offering.”

The update comes as advisers at Rothschild oversee the potential sale of the business, which is majority owned by Lloyds Banking Group. Private equity firm Terra Firma is reportedly among the frontrunners to buy the company, which is believed to be valued at some £300 million.

The firm, which as Wyevale had been owned by Sir Tom Hunter, said the Christmas performance resulted in an 8 per cent increase in sales across 2011.