Perrywood Garden Centre, in Tiptree, is turning 70-years-old in November after it was founded in 1955.
That year, Mary and Les Bourne purchased four acres of land next to Perry’s Wood and started out growing potatoes and pick-your-own strawberries.
Over the last seven decades, the award-winning business has gone from strength to strength and now has a centre in Sudbury and will be launching its third site Perrywood Buckhatch near Chelmsford in February.
Owners – Les and Mary at Perrywood Garden Centre Tiptree years ago (Image: Perrywood Garden Centre) It’s still a family-led business as Mary and Les’s son, Alan Bourne is the director and plant buyer for the business, and his wife Karin, although retired from day-to-day operations, is involved.
Their children, Simon Bourne, Tristan Bourne, and Hannah Powell help run the garden centre.
Mrs Powell. who is the communications and HR director at Perrywood Garden Centre. said: “We feel very lucky to still be here, in this time lots of businesses have come and gone.
Old – the greenhouse at Perrywood Garden Centre (Image: Perrywood Garden Centre)
Happy – Hannah Powell (Image: Perrywood Garden Centre) “I think the secret of our success is continued growth, making profit, and reinvesting it back into the business.
“In 1955, it was a field with strawberries, I would say it was the 1990s where my mum and dad saw the increased interest in nurseries, and people taking a wider interest in things like patios, BBQs, and more.
“Running a business is not easy, it is great to still be here, be on the up, and projecting growth for the years to come.”
Although the “official” anniversary is in November, Perrywoods Garden Centre is launching celebrations now to get its “community planting campaign off the ground”.
Interesting – a display at Perrywood Garden Centre on the firm’s 70 years (Image: Perrywood Garden Centre) The programme will help 70 gardening projects for schools, charities, and community groups by donating a total of £10,000 of plants and gardening equipment to the successful applicants.
The deadline to apply closes on February 9.
Otherwise, the family is “so busy with work” they will just continue “cracking on”.
In the meantime, the business is building a brand new garden centre at Perrywood Garden Centre Sudbury which is “due to open in October”.
Popular – Perrywood Garden Centre Tiptree (Image: Perrywood Garden Centre) Old – One of the original shops, where customers were served at Perrywood Garden Centre Tiptree (Image: Perrywood Garden Centre) But when it comes to the secret to running a strong, family-led garden centre business, Mrs Powell believes it’s a combination of vision and a good team.
She said: “I think also having a very clear vision, I think that is why family businesses are successful, as we are family and work colleagues, we have that shared vision.
“We have a strong team outside of our family members.
“Our customers always feedback on our team and investing in that team has been important.
“Our passion for plants is the reason we are here; it is to get more plants in people’s lives.
“Plants is what we started with and still at the core of our business.”