Ryde’s much-loved Busy Bee Garden Centre is to become part of the Blue Diamond Garden Centre group, Island Echo can exclusively reveal.
Founded in 1987, Busy Bee has been a family-run business for decades under the ownership of Chris and Mary Leslie. The couple, who are now retiring, have overseen the business’s growth into one of the Isle of Wight’s largest and best-known retail destinations for gardening, homeware and gifts.
Blue Diamond Garden Centres, headquartered in Guernsey, is set to complete its purchase of the business in just over 2 weeks’ time, on 31st August.
It means that the Brading Road firm’s future is secure as it becomes part of the UK’s largest garden centre group, which operates in more than 50 locations across the UK and Channel Islands. The nearest being Brambridge Park Garden Centre in Eastleigh, Southampton.
Speaking to Blue Diamond’s Managing Director, Alan Roper, it has been confirmed that the Busy Bee name will remain, as will the ever-popular Christmas World. In fact, Blue Diamond operates some of the biggest Christmas departments in the country.
Alan says that one area set for improvement is the plant department. He says there is a lot that can be done to create more variety and space, improving the offering to customers.
Busy Bee employs around 60 staff members, who are said to be supportive of the takeover. All workers will be retained and TUPE’d over to Blue Diamond, with senior managers set to arrive on the Island and meet the workforce next week.
Discussions on the purchase have been ongoing for several years.
Happy retirement, it will be interesting to see if the new
owners reduce their workforce.
60 employees cost a lot of money, especially for a garden
centre.
TUPE’d ye great as usual..
TUPE or not to be.
Lol
Busy Bee has grown into a giant compared to the way
it started out many years ago.
A big well done to the successful owners, it was
such a shame that the Olive Tree restaurant scored a
1 star rating even though the owners are on site most
days.
I hope when the new owners take over the restaurant staff
don’t get slack.
The new owners might not be on site, hence staff
becoming sloppy.
Think yourselves lucky that you are still in employment.
I thought it was going to change ownership because of the look of it at present. Vastly different to how it was. Good luck to the retiring owners.
Sue what concerns me is that if the restaurant had a
rating of 1 star with the owners on site everyday, what will
happen when the owners retire and the new owners are not
present like the old owners.
If they do not employ the right manager the place will go
down the pan.
It will be interesting to see.