Haskins celebrates 20 years at Roundstone garden centre, including total rebuild

The independent family business acquired the site from Roundstone Nurseries in 2000, with all former staff joining the team.

Today, eight of the original staff still work for Haskins, with Sue Ross, customer service assistant, having worked at the Roundstone site for almost 50 years.

Sue said: “I can remember Mr Richard Cahn, Roundstone Nurseries’ managing director/owner, and myself visiting Haskins’ redeveloped centre in Dorset in the ’90s and we came away inspired, that is how I first became aware of the company.

“Haskins has introduced so many positive, forward-thinking initiatives that are still in keeping with our original values. It was reassuring when Haskins acquired the business that we already knew there was synergy between the brands, and we would remain part of a family business.

“Haskins has evolved the centre and our offering in so many ways and as such, my role has changed over the years. In the past, I dealt with reps and buying in the centre and now work in customer service. Interacting with customers is my favourite part of the job, every day is different, and I enjoy seeing our regulars that often come to the centre.

“It is really heartwarming to have customers come to the centre that used to visit as a child with their parents, who now bring their children to Haskins and remember me from when they were little.”

Sue has been known over the years for her Sybil Fawlty-like voice during service announcements. Colleagues celebrated her 60th birthday in style in 2009, treating her like a celebrity, and said her vocal similarity to the character played by Prunella Scales in the hit BBC comedy Fawlty Towers was uncanny.

Following the acquisition in 2000, Haskins unveiled plans for a £13million redevelopment at the site in 2011. The new garden centre’s expansion included a significantly larger outdoor plant area, a 500-seat restaurant with function rooms and a larger car park. This led to a further 50 full and part-time staff joining the team.

Balloons, streamers and plenty of scrumptious cake were all part of the celebrations when the new-look Haskins Roundstone Garden Centre, one of the largest of its kind in the UK, was officially opened in 2012.

There had been a ‘soft opening’ to the public at the end of February 2012, including the new 500-space car park and dedicated bus stop, but it was not until Friday, March 9, 2012, that Nick Herbert, Arundel and South Downs MP at the time, officially launched the new £12million garden centre by cutting a cake which had been specially made for the occasion.

Warren Haskins, chairman of the garden centre group, took Mr Herbert on a grand tour of the 15-acre site, alongside county and district councillors for the area. The MP said he was impressed by the store and welcomed the commitment to attracting more business and creating more jobs for the area.

For the rebuild, the site took 12 months to redevelop, while the original centre continued to trade, and around 50 new jobs were created. The indoor and outdoor plant areas were made twice the size of the old garden centre and extensive indoor departments were added, including houseplants, gifts, books, pets, clothing and furniture, with environmentally-friendly lighting.

The group said 20 years ago, Roundstone garden centre would have received roughly 400,000 customers a year, in comparison to the latest statistics that show it now receives more than a million customers a year, aided by the centre’s expansion and popular restaurant.

The garden centre group was founded by Harry Haskins as a nursery in Poole in 1882. Warren, his great-grandson, took over the nursery business at the age of 20, following the death of his father. At that time, the company was turning over £17,000 per year and employed seven staff but it was not long before Warrren opened a small retail shop, which was the start of the garden centre business of today.