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NEWBRIDGE NURSERIES

Mojgan Schepers, Manager of Kipling’s pâtisserie (©AAH/Alan Wright)

The final touches are being made to a multi-million-pound refurbishment project at Newbridge Nurseries. There has been a significant expansion of the garden centre, owned by the Blue Diamond Group, including the introduction of new departments and more plants than ever before. 

Steve Nicholls, who has been General Manager for 28 years, said: ‘We now have about 4600m² of covered retail space, with a creative new layout. Visitors will find a vastly-improved range of home and kitchenware, children’s toys and garden furniture, and an expanded fashion department. We also have an extensive range of food and drinks, a garden care department that has doubled in size, and many more plants for the home and garden.’

‘This has largely been achieved by transforming the yard behind the Garden Centre, demolishing a bungalow that had long been on site, and using space more efficiently. We have even been able to significantly increase the number of parking bays for customers to over 300.’

WOW FACTOR

Another feature of the new-look Newbridge Nurseries is a Kipling’s pâtisserie, a signature of Blue Diamond Garden Centres. Stooks Café has operated successfully for many years, serving breakfasts and lunches. However, that used to mean that many customers seeking just a hot drink or a slice of cake would often had to join a long queue. Now, Kipling’s alleviates that pressure. 

The pâtisserie is managed by Mojgan Schepers, who has extensive experience in hospitality and high hopes for Kipling’s. ‘Everything we sell is made by our in-house team,’ she said. ‘I have two brilliant pastry chefs working with me and another is being trained, so it’s a busy kitchen. You don’t see many traditional pâtisseries selling eye-catching cakes these days, but as we evolve, I want to introduce even more of a “wow factor”. Although we’ll keep old favourites like Victoria sponge and scones, I love the idea of creating the kind of special treats you see in the window of Parisian pâtisseries.’ 

GREEN GENERATION

The cakes may look stunning, but arguably an even more visually appealing area of Newbridge Nurseries is the House Plant section, which greets customers as they enter. Beautifully presented and abundant in colour, it’s especially popular with children, who excitedly find animal sculptures concealed amongst tropical orchids and flowering cacti. Newbridge was recently named National House Plant Department of the year at the annual Garden Trade News Awards, confirming its status as one of the best in the country.

Rhona Chambers, House Plants Department Manager, said: ‘There’s a much wider range on offer now and customers ask a lot of questions, as they want to know which plants will suit their home and lifestyle. Weeping figs, spider plants and kentia palms offer year-round greenery, while seasonal varieties offer bursts of colour, which people are always attracted to.’ 

‘There’s demand for cacti too, as they’re small and easy to manage. Most modern houses are built with tiny gardens, while those living in apartments may not have access to one at all, so house plants are even more vital. What is interesting is that we’re seeing a generation of young people who love plants and want to learn about them. Sharing our knowledge is one of the most satisfying aspects of the job.’ 

FRUITS OF OUR LABOUR

Newbridge Nurseries sells about £3 million worth of plants a year, equating to about a third of its turnover. So, the refurbishment has provided a chance to further extend its bedding and seasonal plant sections, with more hardy plants too. 

Since the pandemic, demand for plants has surged, with more of us growing fruit and vegetables too. Fiona Holmes, Hardy Plants Department Manager, said: ‘As we started out as a nursery, we have always stocked a wide selection of bedding plants, and we have loyal customers who have been coming here for decades. People sometimes remark that we’re not a true nursery because of everything else we sell, but our range of plants has never been greater and is among the most extensive in the south of England.'

‘The refurbishment has also allowed us to reorganise the entire Plant Department. There’s more cohesion between vegetables, herbs, soft fruits and fruit trees, so people can easily find what they’re looking for with. Because of the cost of living crisis and occasional shortages at supermarkets, more people are opting to grow their own fruit and vegetables too, and we have everything you need to succeed.’

DIAMOND GEEZER

The refurbishment project has been possible thanks to owners the Blue Diamond Group, which bought Newbridge Nurseries and Stooks from former owner Nigel Wait in 2014. Nigel took on the nursery in 1995 and transformed its fortunes, with the help of Steve Nicholls as General Manager. 

Steve said: ‘I was at Roundstone Garden Centre in Angmering (now Haskins) and knew Nigel, as Roundstone supplied some of his plants. He asked me to join him at Newbridge, which at the time was an old-fashioned, run-down retail nursery with a small turnover. We made ambitious plans for growth and managed to make progress every year. When profits stagnated, we expanded the retail space and then – having survived 18 years without a café – Nigel’s wife, Jane, set up Stooks Café and we made another leap forward.

Steve continued: ‘Blue Diamond have come in and have funded changes that were not previously possible, as it’s the UK's most successful garden centre group, with more than 40 sites in the UK and Channel Islands. Our Managing Director, Alan Roper, committed to the refurbishment project soon after he bought Newbridge, and although the project was delayed by Covid, we’re delighted now that work is nearing completion.’ 

‘It has transformed the centre, and people who haven’t visited for a while are amazed by what they see. We have improved the range across every department, along with extra parking spaces and additional tills that have cut queuing time. We feel we have an exciting layout and offering, that makes coming here a very pleasant and enjoyable experience.’

Published: 2nd April 2023.

Words: Ben Morris/ Pictures: Alan Wright

Further information: Newbridge Nurseries, Billingshurst Road, Broadbridge Heath, RH12 3LN 

www.bluediamond.gg/garden-centre/