Badger Nurseries has been acquired by the Golden Acres group of garden centres and nurseries for an undisclosed sum and will be re-named Badger Garden Centre.
Golden Acres expects to spend £1 million on redeveloping the centre within the next 18 months.
This follows news that nearby Hillier Redditch – in the same village of Studley, Warwickshire – has been sold to become the first outlet in the new Hillview garden centre chain.
Golden Acres’ group operations director Simon Edwards said: “Is Redditch the new place to be? We are delighted with the sudden interest in the area and looking forward to raising the quality of garden centre offering in the area.
“Badger is a great, family-run centre that is very gardening-focussed, which fits our way of business well. Staff there have looked after customers well and there is excellent loyalty to the centre in the area.
“We aim to use all of our 30 years experience to build on all its strengths and improve the customer environment still further.”
He added he was pleased that all the staff have been retained and that they were all extremely enthusiastic to see change.
The three-acre site acquisition does not include Badger’s original wholesale nursery division, which will continue to supply the garden centre with locally-grown plants, run by owners John and Ann Alldrick.
Golden Acres has stepped up its own production of bedding plants to supply the additional centre.
The group already owns four garden centres, a trade wholesale business and nurseries in Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire and aims to continue its expansion in the southern half of the UK.
Picture by Phil Dowding
