Whiteleys Garden Centre bought out of administration

A private investment firm has bought Huddersfield-based Whiteleys Garden Centre out of administration, saving all 45 jobs at the retailer.

Whiteleys Garden Centre will continue to trade as normal

The garden centre was put into the hands of administrator Begbies Traynor at the end of last year, due to 'overall financial pressures' despite the business generating an estimated annual turnover of £2m.

Administrators Julian Pitts, Bob Maxwell and Andrew Dick of Begbies Traynor continued to trade the 25 year old business as normal during its period of administration, and didn't make any staff redundant.

Now, a private investment vehicle chaired and managed by lawyer and turnaround advisor Chris Jones is Whiteleys' new owner.

"This is a well-established and viable business with a loyal customer base which suffered from financial pressures that were not related to its day-to-day operations," said join administrator Julian Pitts.

"As we were confident that a buyer could quickly be found, we continued to trade the business, preserving the jobs of all staff."

The business soon generated a lot of interest from potential buyers, and Mr Pitts has called the deal "the best possible outcome, securing a future for one of the area's most popular garden centres, without having made any redundancies."

Source: DIYWEEK.net – essential reading for the DIY trade