Fate of two 'lovely' garden centres in seaside town provokes concern

North Wales Live readers have been discussing the recent announcement regarding the sale of two beloved garden centres in North Wales. The two major garden centres are the Conwy Garden World (formerly Tal Goed) near Glan Conwy and North Wales Garden World at Kinmel Bay both of which are hugely popular.

They have now been placed on the market with Christie and Co. The agent said they can be bought as a pair or as separate businesses.

The Kinmel Bay site has a £2.7m price tag while the Conwy Valley one is on for £1.5m.

Nostalgia and a sense of loss can be felt in Haroc's comment who said: "Such a shame to see this up for sale… been going for years, not just for plants but for original gifts and designs. Easy parking to meet up with friends for a coffee or light lunch, take the kids for an ice cream, Christmas wonderland with the singing reindeer."

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They added: "It had stopped stocking the gift company stock a while back, which wasn’t a good move as the high street shops aren’t easy access for parking. It’ll be a shame to see it go, and the staff will be missed, especially the man who always said hello and remembered you."

Loveeverythingwelsh said: "They're not going anywhere. They are being sold as successful businesses, well recovered after lockdown. Sound business strategies."

Oooooo000 commented: "If you look at the listing on Christies, it's being sold as a going concern. The other Garden World branches are some considerable distance away in Fleetwood, Matlock (ish) and Tyneside. Long way to travel to manage all 5 for 2 outlets in an area beset by heavy holiday season traffic. It's probably just a rationalisation rather than the end of the businesses."

Kopite1892 replied: "Don’t you mean growing concern."

Bungle110 said: "Only blue rinse go to these places and have the disposable till (sic) to waste."

Sollyboo answered back with: "Well I don't have a blue rinse, nor much disposable income. I just prefer to save up and buy a larger, healthier and more mature plant, first as last. Perhaps if places like supermarkets kept to selling food, the trade garden centres loose to them, would help keep them ticking over."

Loveeverythingwelsh joined in by saying: "Nobody has said the garden centres are struggling. Kinmel ALWAYS seems busy. Stop talking down a good Welsh enterprise. As for 'blue rinse' - absolutely laughable. Which decade were you born in? Trying to patronise retirees by making an absolute show of yourself isn't particularly clever."

Woodlewoo said: "They are lovely centres but they are so expensive. There are so many places now where you can get plants etc now. For years there was no competition and also with people thinking more carefully about their money there had to be a breaking point."

Jonesey1 replied: "You’re right, of course, that there are many other outlets for plant sales. However, many of them are seasonal, many stock sub-par plants, and some… I mean supermarkets now… don’t water or store their plant stocks correctly so you can be sure of buying poor quality merchandise. There aren’t many garden centres that will sell plants that are at anything but at their peak and most will freely give specialised advice on planting and care. Unfortunately, it’s a case of ‘the British disease’, that is 'you buy cheap, you buy twice'."

Kopite1892 answered with: "Don’t think so, when the supermarket has flowers they are in peak condition and of good quality, garden centres charge you double or even treble prices just to say you got it from a north Wales garden centre and not your local Asda store."

Sollyboo joined in with: "Nonsense. Serious gardeners don't buy annual plants from supermarkets, & supermarkets don't sell good quality products such as species roses, hedging stock etc etc. How many times have you bought proper plants from a garden centre ? or stocked a garden with larger, more mature plants ? Not many, if you consider gardening to be about filling a plot or balcony with supermarket annuals,that will have spent days travelling from Holland, being distributed around the UK & then not fed or watered or been protected from the weather."

Oooooo000 added: "If you buy plants from Asda, 1. you have no taste (in general) and 2. you don't understand what you are buying. Choice of a couple of dozen different semi-reject plants from the bargain bin at the wholesaler/importer is what you will find on 'offer' at most 'local shops' along with a complete indifference to what is being sold or its care before it is."

So what do you hope will happen to the two garden centres when they are sold? Let us know in the comments below or HERE.