Edinburgh Little Dobbies to shut permanently as firm announces mass closures this year

Dobbies has said it plans to shut 17 of the garden centre group’s sites by the end of the year.

The move, which is part of a wider restructuring, will see it shut 11 larger sites and six Little Dobbies stores, including the Stockbridge branch.

It said that 465 of its roughly 3,600 workers will be affected by the planned closures.

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This comes as Dobbies, which was first founded in Renfrew in 1865 by James Dobbie, reported major losses of £130 million in the latest annual results on top of the £21.3 million losses it reported the year before, the Mirror reports. Dobbies blamed its shortfalls on unseasonable weather and high inflation.

In its announcement, Dobbies said: "The restructuring programe and other strategic initiatives, are expected to return Dobbies to sustainable profitability through site rationalisations, rent reductions and other tangible cost savings – securing its long-term future and allowing access to future investment.

Last July, the retailer brought on the former Pets at Home boss David Robinson as the new chief executive. He replaced former boss Graeme Jenkins who left after seven years to ”pursue other opportunities”.

The following stores are planned to close:

Larger stores

-Altrincham, Greater Manchester

-Antrim, Northern Ireland

-Gloucester, Gloucestershire

-Gosforth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

-Harlestone Heath, Northamptonshire

-Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire

-Inverness, Scotland

-King’s Lynn, Norfolk

-Pennine, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

-Reading, Berkshire

-Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire

Little Dobbies

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Chiswick, Greater London

Clifton, Bristol

Richmond, Greater London

Stockbridge, Edinburgh, Scotland

Westbourne Grove, Greater London