The garden centre has rolled out a major revamp in time for its peak trading season.
10 Dobbies garden centres have received a revamped foodhall(Image: Ayrshire Post )
Dobbies has confirmed a major change for several stores across Scotland. It comes as part of a major £1.5 million investment into the garden centre’s foodhalls.
Over the past six weeks, the British retailer has rolled out new foodhall concepts in time for its peak trading season. The improved formats are said to have been inspired by customer feedback, boasting a “cottage kitchen garden feel.”
The refreshed Foodhall design can be found at 48 of its 53 stores nationwide. This includes 10 stores in Scotland including Aberdeen, Ayr, Braehead, Dundee, Dunfermline, Edinburgh and more.
Hailed as “the next major milestone in Dobbies’ transformation strategy”, the move has revamped the selected foodhalls with an engaging new look and an expanded product range that is said to boast 2,000 products.
Created in partnership with 33 specialist food and beverage suppliers, the concept is now being positioned as a “destination for food lovers”, combining everyday food items, alongside the likes of curated offers for treats and gifting. The range will also focus on premium branded and own-branded products.
The new Foodhall by Dobies has been designed with a “cottage kitchen garden feel”(Image: Dobbies)
The central feature will be the enhanced in-house fresh bakery. Building on Dobbies’ strong reputation, there’s freshly baked-scones, pastries and traybakes, wll which has been complimented by expanded ranges from suppliers like Bothams of Whitby and Patteson’s macaroons.
Customers will also find the likes of sweet treats from big names including Bonbons and Tony’s Chocolonely. Meanwhile, the deli and pantry lines have also been expanded to include international foods, offering a wide range of versatility.
Lastly, the garden centre has also strengthened its frozen offering that now features major brands including Cook, FieldGoods and the award-winning Supper Club. Meanwhile, the gifts category has also been broadened to include an enhanced range of alcohol and premium soft drinks with the likes of gin gift packs and specialist tea collections.
According to Dobbies, its fresh Foodhall format was trialled in select stores last year, leading to excellent customer feedback, increased NPS, footfall and sales.
Amy Siergiejew, Head of Trading at Dobbies, said: “Foodhalls are an important part of our garden centre experience, and we are excited to launch a new concept for our customers.
The revamped foodhall concept now offers a 2,000-strong product range(Image: Dobbies)
“We’ve created a look and feel that’s inspired by a cottage kitchen garden, with a new concept that brings together essentials, treats and seasonal variety through both popular brands and new ones that we think our customers will love.”
David Robinson, Chief Executive Officer of Dobbies, said: “The rollout of our new foodhalls marks an important milestone in our growth strategy. By creating distinctive, bespoke foodhalls in our garden centres, we’re further strengthening our unique blend of retail, hospitality and experiential reasons to visit.
“We’ve worked with a wide range of suppliers to create a range that blends household favourites and artisan producers, positioning Dobbies as the perfect place to discover new products, especially when it comes to everyday indulgence and gifting.”
The shakeup comes after Dobbies closed down eight of its stores in 2025 following a major restructuring plan. The closures affected the garden centre’s stores in England, with its entire Scottish stores remaining open.
It came after an unstable period for the business, with bosses advising that the move was made to secure the long-term future of the garden centre that had reassesed its nationwide portfolio amid rising operational costs and shifting consumer behaviour.
Full list of Dobbies garden centres in Scotland with a new Foodhall conceptAberdeen – New Park farm, Whitemyres House, Lang Stracht, Kingswells, Aberdeen AB15 6AXAyr – Dobbies Garden Centre, Holmston Rd, Old Toll, Ayr KA6 5JJBraehead – Braehead, 75 Kings Inch Dr, Renfrew, Glasgow G51 4FBDundee – Ethiebeaton Park, Monifieth, Dundee DD5 4HBDunfermline – Fife Leisure Park, Whimbrel Pl, Dunfermline KY11 8EXEdinburgh – Melville Nurseries, Edinburgh, Lasswade EH18 1AZLivingston – Beughburn, Houstoun Gardens, Main St, Livingston EH52 6PAMilngavie – Dobbies Garden Centre, Boclair Rd, Milngavie, Glasgow G62 6EPPerth – Huntingtower Park, Crieff Rd, Perth PH1 3JJStirling – Drip Road, Stirling FK9 4UF
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