Despite significant growth in the past year, British Garden Centres remains committed to its family culture and community
With over 80 locations, British Garden Centres is the largest family-owned garden center group in the UK. A year after our last conversation, we catch up with Amy Stubbs, Managing Director, to gain insights into the latest developments at British Garden Centres.
“It has been quite a crazy year in the best possible way,” she opens. “We have made some positive progress, including expanding the number of centers we operate and integrating new teams into the wider business. Several factors have been driving our growth over the past year. First, my dad’s ambition and determination set a clear pace and direction, and that mindset genuinely spreads through the whole business. Secondly, we have continued to build a strong team, which makes acquisitions and change far more achievable, because we can bring structure, support and consistency to every new site. And finally, our approach to being practical, hands-on and people-focused helps us move quickly while still looking after the teams on the ground.”
Alongside the operational growth, British Garden Centres reached another significant milestone this year by hosting its first-ever leadership conference. The event brought managers together from across the group, giving them space to share what is working and align on the culture and standards the company wants to protect as it enters the next phase of growth. Maintaining its family values and supporting its employees remains a core priority for the business as it scales, aiming to bring people with it rather than leave the culture behind.
“We never want to lose that family feel, even as we grow. Becoming bigger does mean some things have to change, such as processes becoming more structured and needing clearer ways of communicating, but the intent stays the same: to keep British Garden Centres a place where people feel supported, listened to and proud to work. The family will always be actively involved in running the business, and we put a lot of emphasis on being visible, staying connected to our sites and making decisions with our teams in mind. For us, growth should strengthen opportunities for our people through development, progression and stability, rather than dilute the culture that makes us who we are,” Amy reveals.
The sense of community that runs through the business extends beyond British Garden Centres itself. Charity and supporting the local community are equally important parts of its culture, and the company’s Charity of the Year is Greenfingers, an organization that builds gardens in children’s hospices. This is a cause the teams across the group have embraced wholeheartedly. Everyone across the business has been fundraising in various ways, with amazing energy and support coming from every location. “Additionally, we have a big personal challenge coming up,” Amy says. “Phillippa, my step-mom, and Libby, my sister, are climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for Greenfingers in June. We are all incredibly proud of them and will be cheering them on every step of the way.”
On the investment side, the company has been busy making meaningful improvements to its restaurant offering. Wherever possible, the refurbishments are delivered by British Garden Centres’ own tradespeople, giving the business greater control over quality, timelines and cost, while allowing it to respond quickly when a site needs attention. Two recent examples illustrate the scale of that commitment. At Grantham, a full restaurant refurbishment and site re-flooring were completed ahead of reopening. The space was transformed from a 200-seat restaurant to one seating 395, a major upgrade that has noticeably refreshed the customer experience. At its Paddock Wood location, British Garden Centres invested in increasing the capacity to 245 seats, which has been a strong step forward for the overall site, with wider improvements to the plant area also underway. By the summer, Paddock Wood will have had a full makeover, with upgrades designed to support a better shopping experience and a stronger offer for the local community.
Since stepping into the role of Managing Director last July, Amy has driven the business forward at an impressive pace. She reflects on her experience and highlights how the business has evolved under her leadership. “I have loved every minute of this journey. It has been fast-paced and the time has flown by because no two days are ever the same. I was honored to be given this role, and I have really enjoyed the challenge of balancing growth with preserving the warmth and energy that people associate with a family-run business, while building the structures we need for what comes next. Right now, we are very much writing our next chapter. For me, that means listening to our teams, being honest about where our challenges are and putting practical plans in place to address them. That includes strengthening communication, improving consistency across sites and investing in the foundations that make growth sustainable, such as training, standards and support. Ultimately, we want to keep growing, but in a way that makes working life better for our people by providing them with clearer direction, better tools, more development opportunities and a genuine sense of being valued.”
While British Garden Centres is growing fast, its leadership is dedicated to ensuring the business feels exactly the same at 80 sites as it did at five.