Wyevale Garden Centres

[Sean Regan]

It's been announced that the one in Timperley, where I was the other day, is to join the many others already closed or are closing.
Being sold off for housing developments.

 

[Daren]

yes Wyevale Garden Centres for years they bought great nurseries & they then took away the Individuality of the said/then nursery that had made them a success and turned them in to just another Wyevale. Then they started to loss custom as they just had no individuality anymore. Its sad but Wyevale have ruined so many great Nursery's over the years & many gardeners just got fed up with them as they only stocked the same plant that all the other Wyevale's where stocking. They have sealed there own fate

 

[alp]

Wyevale is ghastly expensive. For sure they have more varieties than diy stores, but the ridiculous prices just put me off. I don't know about others. A clematis costs £10 in diy stores will be priced £23! Come on! Any keen gardener knows how to layer one to get one! Sean, even your lovely wife has done so and you are a happy customer! Wyevale is really for those city brokers who want to impress or those very, very well-off. I keep my purse tight. Only went there to buy reduced seeds and even those are expensive. Don't expect 10p from them. With the way business rates going up suddenly, businesses can't absorb the shock, Brexit doesn't help. Austerity means people are more careful with their money. Even the free TV licence for 75 is threatened!

 

[Sean Regan]

I've bought quite a bit of stuff in Wyevale over the years, but i've never paid silly prices.
There was a local family owned nursery in Timperley called Batmans, We used it for decades, that closed getting on for ten years ago.Then another closed.
Wyevale is always busy, they will also refund or replace anything you buy that proves faulty or dies within a reasonable time.
It's not the prices that have caused their demise. It's the fact that their locations mean that there's a huge amount of money to be made by the new owners, from selling them off for housing. I mean they've closed one in Sunbury, "where the rich live." Prices won't have been a factor.

The two other nurseries? Sold for housing development!

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Bron and I seldom visit our local Wyevale GC which is only a short drive away; as alp says their prices "are ghastly expensive" so we just pop in for a look around; like many garden centres these days it should really be called a restaurant?

We now often visit Hampson's;

http://www.hampsonplantworld.co.uk/

What a shame our local Wyevale doesn't suit us so we drive further to Hampson's making huge savings; Hampson's is rather scruffy but then you pay for "posh" excellent quality plants at very reasonable prices; many of our recently bought ground cover at half marked price; Hampson's also have a "pound" section plus a decent craft section which Bron likes; excellent silk flowers at a £1 per bunch; Bron buys lots of these as gifts. We visit at 9am when Hampson's is just opening; there's even a lovely cat called Porsche that we always look out for.

We used to visit Gordon Riggs in Todmorden driving over for many years but after an upgrade their prices too were upgraded so now it's simply not worth the time and effort; years ago customers at Riggs were at the checkouts in long queues with trolleys overflowing with goods; it's all changed now though; long may Hampson's remain in business.

Huddersfield Town is an endangered species too; we never ever visit the town centre in fear of fines because we travel by car but the council refuse to accept that treating car owners like criminals has anything at all to do with so many stores being boarded up; busses reign supreme in Huddersfield with their own bus gates and if a motorist strays into one of these lanes its an automatic fine;

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/car-dealer-shak-shah-threatening-15365834

Just a recent example shown above to show why we avoid Huddersfield like the plague. Sorry to drift off topic but it's not just garden centres closing; the UK is closing.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Sean Regan]

Personally, I think the "death knell" has sounded for many garden centres/nurserys in suburban areas.
The country is desperately short of housing, so these locations are ideal for housing development. Local councils which are under pressure from the government to find sites have looked kindly at planning applications from these "greenfield sites" that a couple of decades ago would have stood no chance.The same thing is happening to some golf courses, including one locally.

 

[Sean Regan]

On the subject of closures...

The Law Courts in Sale, built in the seventies, are one of the 86 regional courts to close. The specific reason is that it's only used 27% of the time. Probably because the depleted local police force aren't catchng enough criminals, but I believe they're on top of non violent hate crime and hurt feelings.

Altrincham Hospital.

This was the old hospital a mixture of Victorian and post-war buildings. Became a minor injuries cliniic and had excellent "walk in" X-Ray faclties.

Partially replaced on another site by this, but there's no parking..at all. Very difficult to get to.

A few years ago the Victorian Police Station in the centre of the town was closed, converted into flats and the big car park sold off for more flats. The nearest car park is at Tesco's half a mile away from the city centre.

The old hospital was demolished and a new complex nears completion, "The Altrincham Health & Wellbeing Centre." a mixture of clinics and several GP surgeries, where local GPs etc., would all move into.



(artist's impression)

But they won't as they say the rents are too high. So it's proposed to turn it into offices plus some retail and bars and restaurants.

This is the site of Wyevale, in the middle of Timperley. I wonder how many houses they can cram in there?

 

[alp]

Because we are in the SE and people feel so entitled to up the prices. Our Wyevale has no sign of selling off, but they might have a different tariffs to yours. A lot of houses and flats will be crammed in there. Here where I live, the old hospital was sold off and a lot of flats have sprung up. We are talking about a lot of money, a lot!

 

[Sean Regan]

I think the intention is to sell off them all eventually A lot have already been sold, the last batch as recently as October. They are owned by a "private equity company" now.
That in itself speaks volumes.

 

[alp]

Don't forget the steep rise in rates. A lot of small business just couldn't absorb the steep rise and have folded. They should have staggered the increase and big stores like Tescos are asking the government to charge online giants more as there isn't a level playing field. If online giants like Facebook recruit politicians like Nick Clegg with a £4m price tag, you can imagine what a level playing field there is. George Osborne went to watch the Bowls on Google hospitality .. that speaks a lot, doesn't it? We fine Facebook £500K whilst the EU billions... Brits are so nice ..

 

[Gail_68]

Wyevale is ghastly expensive. For sure they have more varieties than diy stores, but the ridiculous prices just put me off.

alp i'm one customer for sure who's been ripped off many a time but the selection they have makes you extend your pocket.

 

[alp]

alp i'm one customer for sure who's been ripped off many a time but the selection they have makes you extend your pocket.

If you can afford the prices, it's OK! I have seen only 2 other gcs stocking streptocarpus of which I were a big fan. The other thing I don't like about Wyevale my way is that even the reductions have been mean. Diy store gc reduced streptocarpus to 50p a pot; yet you will never see that in Wyevale. Also, the bottom price for seed packets is 50p whilst you can get it 10p in Wilko. I have bought a cornus Rubra reduced from £69.99 to £5 in a posh gc which has unfortunately turned into a Christmas emporium. No such luck in my Wyevale.

 

[Zenj]

I have two Wyevales near me which I use occasionally the Morpeth one as been sold to Dobies so will remain a garden centre the other one not sure of, some have been sold as new build housing sites.

 

[Gail_68]

If you can afford the prices, it's OK! I have seen only 2 other gcs stocking streptocarpus of which I were a big fan. The other thing I don't like about Wyevale my way is that even the reductions have been mean. Diy store gc reduced streptocarpus to 50p a pot; yet you will never see that in Wyevale. Also, the bottom price for seed packets is 50p whilst you can get it 10p in Wilko. I have bought a cornus Rubra reduced from £69.99 to £5 in a posh gc which has unfortunately turned into a Christmas emporium. No such luck in my Wyevale.

I have to agree with you alp..i love grass plants and brought two matured ones from there £10 each...when to a another garden centre up the road only £4-99 and my hubby goes mad at me for it but there place does have a better selection of grasses to the others although they're cheaper plus the plants are in the shade with hoses going regular, where as the other garden centres some of the plants in the summer are on deaths door.

 

[alp]

@Zenj Dobbies can be huge. I so wish to have one near me. You're so lucky! So much to see. Went to the one in Kent Medway for his graduation. Very good for spending 2/3 of a day. I was like a child let loose in chocolate shop. Just to feast my eyes on those plants. I love my posh-ish gc though, light and airy and always something exciting. Now the place is cho-a-bloc with Xmas paraphernalia, some are tiny and today we have counted at least 3 security guards. First time for the guards.

@Gail_68 Yes, agree! Better care and the soil probably better and not grown inside a jiffy pellet. Also they might over-winter better. That's why I don't want to buy plants from RHS flagship shops as the pots are smaller and the plants that I bought have not overwintered well.