GARDEN-CENTRE enthusiasts are left gutted after a major retailer has been forced to shut another one of its beloved branches.
The shop already scrapped 12 stores in 2024 and fans have said the decision is “so disappointing.”
Dobbies Garden Centre at Hare Hatch, Berkshire, announced it will be shutting up shop on January 31.
The popular outdoor and DIY store offers plants, garden furniture and pet supplies, and has been a family favourite all across the UK.
A spokesperson from the garden centre said: “Dobbie’s Garden Centres confirms that its Hare Hatch store is transferring to new ownership during January and is pleased to confirm that the in-store team will also transfer to the new operators.
“This follows approval of Dobbies’ restructuring plan in December 2024, which allows the business to focus on returning to sustainable profitability, unlock access to future investment and deliver a strong and well-capitalised platform for the business going forward. “
Fans of the shop are thoroughly disheartened by the news and one unhappy customer took to social media to express their concern.
On Facebook, they wrote: “So disappointing watching so many garden centres and DIY shops close down.
“Following on the footsteps of Homebase is another, Dobbies at Hare Hatch.”
One online user suggested it could be a result of internet shopping, writing: “Lots of shops closing.
“I also think online shopping is impacting but in our area, the loss of DIY shops and garden centers is quite an issue.
An unhappy shopper who lost another branch said: “We losing our Homebase in Godalming.
“Was the only home and DIY we have here and I loved it.”
This follows a spate of store closures from Dobbies Garden Centre, in which 12 branches were closed last year.
A statement released by the garden centre stated bosses went ahead with the closures to return to “sustainable profitability and unlock access to “future investment.”
Closures include stores in Reading, Statford-upon-Avon, Inverness, Huntingdon and Antrim.
Dobbies Garden Centre in Hare Hatch is now offering a closing down sale to get rid of remaining stock.
The DIY store is also offering a 50 per cent sale across its gardening, home, and seed range.
If you’re looking to upgrade your plant pots, you can take home a Faux Rattan Hanging Cone for £2 down from £8.99, more than a 77 per cent decrease.
The Dobbies Wooden Foldable Grow Light has dropped down from £39.99 to as little as a tenner.
For those looking to tackle the garden before summer, the Gardena Classic Bypass Secateurs are £16.09 down from £22.99
Garden centres and DIY stores like Dobbies, Homebase, and B&Q aren’t the only stores struggling with closures.
After the pandemic, with many potential customers forced to stay at home, many didn’t return to physical stores for a long time.
With the boom in online shopping, many chains closed down branches.
The cost of living crisis has also had a huge impact on high-street stores, with many unable to splash out on non-essential items.
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024.
End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker.
It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date.
This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023.
It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns.
The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker.
Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations.
Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes.
Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
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