A South West garden centres business has seen its peak trading season sales go up by 50%, despite challenges posed by the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Gardens Group owns Castle Gardens in Sherborne and Poundbury Gardens (both Dorset) as well as Brimsmore Gardens in Yeovil, South Somerset.
After being forced to close its doors during the first national lockdown in March last year the business adapted the operations of its garden centres by continuing to trade by phone and providing a seven-day local delivery service.
The company, which was founded by University of Bath horticulture graduates Mike and Louise Burks in 1987, secured a £900,000 loan from Lloyds Bank to help it to support their staff, suppliers and long-standing customers, before the centres were allowed to reopen in May 2020.
Despite only being able to operate at a reduced capacity to support social distancing, takings increased significantly during the summer months.
Mr Burks, managing director of The Gardens Group, said that he was “proud” of the business’ ability to continue trading during the pandemic, as well as support the garden centres' local communities.
Mr Burks said: “Gardening is really important for mental health and wellbeing and as a business we knew we were part of the solution, to give people across the South West an activity to focus on during lockdown.
He added: “Events over the last 12 months have challenged everything that Louise, myself and the team have worked hard at for over thirty years.
“The garden centres were closed for a large part of our peak trading season and we’re so grateful for the support we’ve received from Lloyds Bank to allow us to maintain our staff and support our loyal customer base.”
The Gardens Group has donated any plants that it was unable to sell during lockdown to local schools, hospitals and community centres.
The business has also recently signed up to Cornish environmental attraction the Eden Project’s Planet Mark scheme, a sustainability certification that helps organisations to reduce their annual carbon emissions by a minimum of 2.5% every year.
Thomas Cheetham, relationship manager at Lloyds Bank, said: “The Gardens Group’s three garden centres are rooted in local communities across the region, and it was only right that they were able to pivot their business and continue trading during the ongoing lockdowns.
“Mike and Louise have been Lloyds Bank customers for more than 20 years and we’re proud to have supported them through a challenging period and it’s great to see them continue to prosper as we all look forward to restrictions easing in the months ahead."
