‘Tremendous attraction’ Dobbies to join outlet village development
Sophie FLOWERS
sophie.flowers@reachplc.com
ANEW garden centre next to the planned Designer Outlet Cotswolds development will be a flagship Dobbies Garden Centre – the largest Dobbies in the South West.
It was announced on Monday that Dobbies Garden Centres has signed an agreement with Cheltenham-based developer Robert Hitchins Ltd to open the 75,000 sq ft flagship garden centre next to J9 of the M5 near Tewkesbury.
The garden centre, off the A46, will feature an extensive plants and gardening department, food hall, cookshop, pet department, table service restaurant, soft play area for kids, its own 500space car park and much more.
Graeme Jenkins, chief executive officer at Dobbies Garden Centres, said: “The new garden centre will be our fourth largest in the UK and the jewel in the crown for the South West region.
“Not only do we want to delight our customers with our plants and gardening offer, but also feature a variety of other attractions and product ranges. With such an excellent location, right on the junction of a busy motorway, we look forward to welcoming local residents, passing motorists and visitors to the region.”
The store will feature a large food hall with on-site bakery, butchery and an ambient grocery offer, including fresh fruit and vegetables.
Additional attractions include a 500seat table service restaurant with an extensive menu, cookshop, a pet department plus an extensive plant area.
It will be on the same 180-acre site as the proposed 195,000 sq ft Designer Outlet Cotswolds which will feature some 90 retail units, restaurants and cafes.
Infrastructure works to open up the site for development are due to start this autumn with the garden centre and outlet village planned to open in autumn 2022.
The outlet village will feature fashion, footwear and lifestyle brands at up to 70 per cent off recommended retail prices (RRP) throughout the year along with restaurants and coffee shops.
Both the designer outlet and garden centre are part of a wider development by Robert Hitchins, which will also include 850 homes, a school and a local centre adjacent to an existing M&S supermarket, Starbucks and BP petrol filling station.
Simon Tothill, property and development director of Robert Hitchins, said: “A Dobbies Garden Centre as the leisure anchor for Designer Outlet Cotswolds will offer a tremendous attraction for customers.
“Working closely with ROS Retail Outlet Shopping, one of the top outlet operators in Europe, we have managed to secure strong interest from major global brands which we hope to announce in the near future.
“We have put much thought into the architectural appeal of the scheme and the spectrum of choice for visitors when we open.
“Dobbies will be a significant addition to the development.”