The garden centre chain has made closures this year following a major restructuring plan.
Dobbies has closed 8 stores this year – is your area on the list?(Image: Getty Images)
Dobbies is the latest retailer to be undergoing restructuring plans. It comes amidst a turbulent time for the retail high street, with multiple other big names making similar moves.
The garden centre chain has closed down eight of its branches across the UK during 2025, with the company’s shakeup plan aiming to secure the long-term future of its business.
The closures took place between January and March, with sites in Rugby, Morpeth, Stapleton, Havant, Hare Hatch, Leicester, Aylesbury and Northampton affected. So far, garden centres in Scotland have not been affected.
It comes after an unstable period for the company which which has been reassessing its nationwide portfolio amid rising operational costs and shifting consumer behaviour, reports the Express.
A spokesperson for Dobbies said in a statement that the decision formed part of a strategic plan to strengthen the business and improve its profitability.
Some Dobbies sites are now trading under a new name(Image: Getty Images )
They said: “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.
“These measures will secure Dobbies’ long-term future and allow access to future investment.”
However, it’s not all bad news for the garden centre chain, as its Northampton branch, which closed in March, reopened to the public after it was immediately taken over by British Garden Centres which it now operates as.
Many sites that were closed in 2024 have also been reopened under other major operators that also includes Blue Diamond, with the change in ownership affecting sites based in Gloucester, Gosforth, Reading and Stratford-upon-Avon.
The takeover from the other major operators indicates that, while the Dobbies name might be retreating from some areas across the UK, the garden centres will themselves still remain open, just under new names.
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Nevertheless, despite making closures, Dobbies does remain one of the UK’s largest garden centre chains, with the firm confirming that its restructuring plan will place it on a more sustainable footing in the future.
Dobbies isn’t the only garden product retailer to announce closures in 2025, with a number of independent and specialist garden names making similar moves.
Richard Griffith House Plants Ltd, a houseplant specialist based at a third-party garden centre in Knaresborough, ceased trading in September. Meanwhile, The Place for Plants in East Bergholt, Suffolk, closed a month later after 30 years of trading, although its premises are set to be taken over by an online retailer.
It comes amidst unstable conditions for the UK high street throughout 2025, with factors including higher national insurance contributions and a change in shopping habits leading to permanent closures, while some retailers have disappeared completely.
Morrisons is also in the midst of restructuring plans, with the supermarket giant closing down 54 of its in-store cafes across the UK, with 13 Scottish cities included in the move.
Banks have also been affected this year, with Lloyds bank confirming plans to axe hundreds of branches over the next two years, with branches in Scotland affected, following a change in how shoppers engage with their bank.
Full list of Dobbies closures in 2025Rugby – closing January 19Morpeth (Heighley Gate) – closing January 19 (site closure; some parts later acquired by other operators)Stapleton – closing January 19 (site closure)Havant – closing January 19 (site closure)Hare Hatch – closing January 31Leicester (Rothley / Rowena) – closing February 14Aylesbury (World’s End) – closing February 28Northampton – closing March 2 (closed by Dobbies but immediately acquired by British Garden Centres)Other garden retail closures in 2025Richard Griffith House Plants Ltd (Knaresborough, North Yorkshire) – ceased trading September 2 (specialist houseplant retailer; closed following administration)The Place for Plants (East Bergholt, Suffolk) – closed October 24 (independent centre retiring after 30 years; premises taken over by an online retailer)
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