Wyevale Garden Centres (WGC), the UK’s biggest garden centre operator, has been put up for sale.

East Anglian Daily Times: Wyevale Garden Centre in Sprowston PICTURE: Steve AdamsWyevale Garden Centre in Sprowston PICTURE: Steve Adams

The chain has centres in Woodbridge, Sudbury and Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk and in Sprowston and Bressingham in Norfolk, as well as the Stanway and Wyevale Garden Centre in north Essex.

The sale comes at an advanced stage of a turnaround programme for WGC, which has seen significant investment in the core business. The centres have seen strong sales in recent weeks, with a record-breaking Mayday bank holiday weekend expected to contribute to the most profitable month in the company’s history, boosted by the balmy weather sparking increased interest in gardening.

WGC is the UK’s biggest garden centre chain, with 145 garden centres, ranging from local horticultural centres to major leisure destination venues, and 144 restaurants and cafes.

Terra Firma, which is selling the company, is exploring selling the entire chain or individual centres.

Justin King, vice-chairman of Terra Firma and chairman of WGC, said: “The improvements made by the new leadership team at Wyevale Garden Centres, supported by 6,000 dedicated colleagues, means that now is the right time to seek new, long term ownership for the business.”

The garden centre sector is vibrant and growing with Mintel forecasting a growth rate of around 3% per annum through to 2021.