Sturmer Garden Centre, Church Walk, Sturmer, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 7XD

Christie & Co are delighted to bring to the market a fantastic independent Garden Centre and Tea Rooms.
The site is freehold, comprising approximately 2.76 acres, and is situated on the A1017 a key route connecting the regional hubs of Cambridgeshire and Colchester.
Established in 1982, this family-run site has built an outstanding reputation and a loyal customer base. In 2014, a striking architect-designed building was added to accommodate the garden centre shop and Bistro.
The site offers significant potential for further development with a large glasshouse and former retail store that could be repurposed to expand retail space or introduce concessions. At the rear, there is an undeveloped parcel of land of approximately 0.419 acres, that is currently used for events but there is interest from a local forest school to rent the space to establish a new setting.

Sturmer Garden Centre is located between the village of Sturmer and the larger town of Haverhill, which is just over a mile away and expanding with a major new housing development on the northern side of the town.
The site benefits from a large rural catchment area of West Suffolk, North East Essex and South Cambridgeshire and according to the latest census data 367,024 people live within a 25km radius of the garden centre. Local demographic analysis shows favourable conditions for garden centres with above average home ownership and owner-occupied housing.

The site is roughly level, with a wide frontage to the main road offering good visibility of the garden centre to passing traffic.
There are 3 main structures onsite, firstly the large glass house that used to form the plant growing and main sales area of the business but is now used for stock and a limited amount of retail. There is a large steel framed poly tunnel that was installed in around 2017 and now creates a practical covered sales area.
The main building was granted permission in 2014 and has a striking design with an elegant roof line, timber clad elevations and large double glazed modern windows. The vaulted internal roof adds interest which is reflected in the excellent online reviews where the business has a 5-star rating for “atmosphere”.
The Bistro is well appointed with a modern feel and good quality display units and fixtures and fittings. It has the benefit of overlooking the plant area and comprises of around 30 internal and 20 external covers. There is scope to expand the seating both inside and outside.
The plant area is well laid out and has the feel of a walled garden with tall hedging enclosing the space. The business also benefits from a children’s play area with modern timber play equipment which was installed in 2019.
Overage
Whilst we believe that most buyers will wish to purchase the business to continue to run as a garden centre we do need to make purchases aware that the following overage clause is listed on the title.
The owner will pay 10% of the uplift in value (enhanced value minus base value) on the earlier of implementing planning permission of disposing of the property with that permission during the period ending 31 Dec 2041. This applies to development of two or more dwellings.

The Business is available on a freehold basis and would make an excellent acquisition for a regional garden centre operator looking for expansion or for an owner operator to run an established and long-standing business.
In the last year the sales have increased in the region of 5% and profitability has grown by significantly more than this. The business has particularly seen growth of sales through the Bistro and additional revenue has been generated from seasonal events.
The garden centre sits on a good sized parcel of land and offers considerable scope for further expansion of the external retail area as well as scope to make greater use of the substantial glass house.

The business is run by the owners with the assistance of 13 full time staff members and 6 additional weekend staff for the Bistro.

Christie & Co have been given historic trading figures which show that the Turnover in 2023 was £959,305 and in 2022 it was £912,158.
Our clients purchased the property in 2024 and have increased the turnover and profitability of the business during their ownership of the business.
The table below summarises the full year management accounting information. Further details can be made available to interested potential purchasers.

YE 31st August 2025
Turnover: £1,062,941
Profit: £292,795

Garden Centre: Monday - Saturday: 9am - 4.30pm
Sunday: 10am - 4pm

The Bistro: Monday - Saturday: 9.30am - 4pm
Sunday: 10am - 4pm