Dobbies will close unprofitable locations, exit the Little Dobbies format and make hundreds of staff cuts as the retailer seeks to navigate out of financial difficulty.
The garden centre chain announced 17 site closures as part of a restructuring plan that will see 465 employees face redundancy.
Dobbies said the plan was necessary to address “historically uneconomical rent costs and ensure a return to sustainable profitability”.
The closures will impact 11 Dobbies Garden Centres and all six of its Little Dobbies stores – a small format it launched in urban locations in 2020.
Should the restructuring plan be approved, stores are expected to close before the end of the year, which will leave the retailer with 60 sites.
Dobbies said it would be working with landlords to seek temporary rent reductions at a further nine sites.
Late last month it was revealed that Dobbies, which is controlled by Ares Management, had appointed FTI Consulting to advise on a restructuring plan.
The retailer said in a statement: “The restructuring plan, 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.”
Proposed store closures are:
- Altrincham
- Antrim
- Gloucester
- Gosforth
- Harlestone Heath
- Huntingdon
- Inverness
- King’s Lynn
- Pennine
- Reading
- Stratford-upon-Avon
- Cheltenham (Little Dobbies)
- Chiswick (Little Dobbies)
- Clifton (Little Dobbies)
- Richmond (Little Dobbies)
- Stockbridge (Little Dobbies)
- Westbourne Grove (Little Dobbies)
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