Frosts Garden Centre sold after 78 years in the family

IT HAS been in the same family for more than 75 years. Now Frosts Garden Centre in Woburn Sands has new owners.

The Frost family, led by directors James and Jeremy Frost, have completed the sale of the business to The Blue Diamond Group.

The new owner already runs 44 garden centres across the UK and in the Channel Islands and has pledged to maintain the Frosts heritage, reputation and brand.

The deal completed yesterday (Thursday, August 1). The Blue Diamond group’s chief executive Alan Roper said: “Frosts Garden Centre is a thriving and respected family business with a unique brand and excellent reputation within the local community. Blue Diamond is proud to be the new owner of this aspirational garden centre.

“We intend to protect its heritage and core values whilst driving the business forward into the future and are delighted to welcome Frosts into the Blue Diamond portfolio.”

Frosts was founded in 1946 as a nursery by Harvey Frost and his wife Vera. Their son Brian opened the nursery to the public and in 1972 partnered with the Godber family to develop Willington Garden Centre near Bedford.

The Godbers had owned the Willington site since the late 1890s, operating it as a successful wholesale nursery before it became a garden centre.

Discussions are ongoing on the future of the Willington site.

The company also opened a successful landscaping division.

Current managing director James Frost and his brother Jeremy, Harvey’s grandsons, said in a statement: “When our grandfather started this business in 1946, he could not possibly have foreseen how Frosts would develop – it has been our family’s passion now for over 75 years.

“We are not getting any younger and there is no one in the Frost family to take over the reins. Therefore, when we received an approach from The Blue Diamond Group to buy Frosts, we concluded that the time was right – not only for us, but also for the business.”