Ideas for garden centre just keep on growing and growing

Sep 24 2007 by James Barton, The Journal

A nursery is sowing the seeds of expansion with plans to turn it into a rural-themed retail park and garden centre. James Barton reports.

THE founder of nursery Plants R Ross is to spend £750,000 creating a garden centre and rural retail park in plans that have tripled in size in the last 12 months. Ross Weightman, who owns the nursery in Peterlee, was supported by Business Link in County Durham in the project to add a café and farm shop to the site.

However, the scale of the project has increased massively and the enlarged scheme will now include 15 new shops and create 40 jobs.

He says: “I realised that infrastructure costs would be better spread over a four-acre development with more opportunity for people to want to spend half-a-day here. I want to make it a destination garden centre.”

Mr Weightman is planning a 120-cover restaurant, up from his original idea of a cafe with room for 30, a 15,000sq ft two-storey building with room for 15 shops and a further 4,000sq ft of links and walkways. He says: “The growing area of the nursery will be extended so I can sell plants from there and there will be more room for parking.

“I’m aiming to have it finished by spring 2008 and have already got a specialist farm produce retailers such as a butcher and some organic food specialists interested in opening outlets.”

The 36-year-old, who started his business in 1997, spent four years living and working from a caravan on the site at South Hetton Road, Easington, County Durham.

From selling a few bedding plants, he has built up a nursery covering 1.5 acres and now has two full-time, one part-time and nine seasonal staff. He has also found time to build a house for himself and his family. Last year he announced plans to launch the garden centre but decided to triple the amount of money being spent on the project, boosting the project to a four-acre development.

Mr Weightman said: “I wanted to create the type of garden centre that would attract more customers and ensure that the business is not so seasonal.

“We already have about 100 visitors a day but extra facilities such as a restaurant and farm shop and a large number of rural retail shops will boost numbers considerably.”

Plants R Ross specialises in hanging baskets and now sells more than 4,000 a year, as well as a wide range of perennials, shrubs, plant pots and other garden accessories.

Mr Weightman travels around Europe, importing plants from Italy, Belgium and Holland, and has launched a new garden design service.

He says: “I have always wanted to run my own business. I have been involved with horticulture since I was 16, studying at two colleges in the UK, then working in nurseries in Australia, South Africa and this country to gain experience.

“Business Link at the East Durham Business Service was my first port of call when I started the project. They have provided advice and helped me to put together a business plan.

“They have also linked me to a number of other sources of help including possible sources of finance. I have been helped to access the services of a consultant who has experience with exactly this type of project so has provided invaluable expertise and contacts.

“I am determined that this will be the biggest garden centre in the area with a reputation to match.”

Nigel Hardy, Business Link account manager based at East Durham Business Service, said: “We have worked with Ross for some years now and seen his business grow from very small beginnings in a caravan to this ambitious project which will bring jobs and an excellent facility to East Durham.

“He has worked extremely hard and we are delighted that our support has helped him get this ambitious project under way.”