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Dobbies Garden Centres Limited has launched a restructuring plan that will see the closure of 17 unprofitable stores to address “historically uneconomical rent costs and ensure a return to sustainable profitability”.
Dobbies will close 11 main sites, and six little dobbies sites, which will impact 465 colleagues, of which 82 are full-time, out of a total 3,600 overall.
According to the group, the restructuring plan and other strategic initiatives are expected to return Dobbies to “sustainable profitability through site rationalisations, rent reductions and other tangible cost savings – securing its long-term future and allowing access to future investment”.
Additionally, Dobbies will also be working with landlords to seek temporary rent reductions at a further nine sites.
The group stated that while the process is ongoing, all sites will continue to operate as normal. There will be no impact to suppliers.
Dobbies said: “Subject to the RP being successfully approved, we expect the affected sites to cease trading by the end of the year. Thereafter, Dobbies will operate 60 stores and continue to play a key role in the market, working constructively with stakeholders and suppliers, and having an active and committed role in the communities in which it’s based.”
The proposed store closures are:
Altrincham
Antrim
Gloucester
Gosforth
Harlestone Heath
Huntingdon
Inverness
King’s Lynn
Pennine
Reading
Stratford-upon-Avon
Cheltenham (little dobbies)
Chiswick (little dobbies)
Clifton (little dobbies)
Richmond (little dobbies)
Stockbridge (little dobbies)
Westbourne Grove (little dobbies)
