Family-owned garden centre business Notcutts will be marking its 120th anniversary this year after opening as a nursery in 1897.
Originally founded by Roger Crompton Notcutt in Woodbridge, Suffolk as a small nursery and town-centre shop, the company has gone from strength-to-strength and currently employs 1,300 staff at 18 garden centres across the UK with an annual turnover of c. £70m.
Throughout 2017, Notcutts will be celebrating its 120th birthday with a variety of events for customers and colleagues.
Notcutts established itself as a leading name in the horticultural sector and has made a huge impact on home gardening. After the first world war, it started supplying more modest houses and smaller gardens with a range of plants, trees and flowers. Over the years it has also become well known for its shrub and tree production, as well being a rose specialist.
Notcutts has also made a significant contribution to some of the national flower and horticultural shows including the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, where the Notcutts’ show gardens have won 50 gold medals. In 2016, Notcutts received the highest accolade at the prestigious Sandringham Flower Show, winning a large gold medal.
Since its small beginnings, Notcutts has remained a family business and is currently in its fourth generation of family-ownership. Roger’s grandson, horticultural pioneer Charles Notcutt, was involved with growing the business for over 50 years and his daughter Caroline Notcutt is vice chairman today.
Caroline said: “120 years is such a wonderful milestone and it’s fantastic to see how Notcutts has grown and developed since my great-grandfather established it in 1897. More than anything a passion for gardening has always been at the heart of the company and I’m so proud that our values of passion, inspiration and expertise still shine through today. We have big and exciting plans going forward, so here’s to another fantastic 120 years!”
Notcutts is currently investing into its future by implementing a five-year investment plan to update and reposition its garden centres within their respective markets.
