Hillier Garden Centres Announces Plans for Expansion of Chichester Garden Centre

Hillier Garden Centres has announced that planning permission has been granted for the redevelopment of its Hillier Garden Centre Chichester. A longstanding and well-established site within the Hillier portfolio, the Chichester centre has served the local community for decades and is recognised as a strong horticultural destination in the region.

The redevelopment will see the existing centre replaced with a new, purpose-built garden centre designed with sustainability and customer experience at its core. The new site will feature an enhanced plant area and garden shop, offering an extended range of indoor and outdoor plants within an easy-to-navigate layout. This development will increase the centre’s size from 32,000 sq. ft to 108,000 sq. ft and it is anticipated that development will begin during Summer 2027.

A key highlight of the redevelopment will be the introduction of a new restaurant, bringing the ‘Edwin & Betsy’s’ dining concept to Chichester following its successful launch at Hillier Garden Centre Weyhill in March this year. The new centre will also incorporate expanded gift and home ranges and a Hillier Food Hall, building on the popularity of similar offerings at sites including Hillier Newbury, Hillier Eastbourne and Hillier Three Legged Cross.

George Hillier, Chairman commented: “The redevelopment at Chichester is a key step forward for the business. We will be transforming the centre into a destination that combines our horticultural heritage with an enhanced retail and leisure experience. Customers can expect a significantly improved plant area, new retail concepts, and a strong focus on sustainability throughout with features including a recycled water system, solar panels and electric vehicle charging points.”

The investment reflects the company’s continued commitment to evolving its garden centre estate while maintaining the high standards of horticultural quality and expertise that have defined the brand for generations.

For more information, visit: https://www.hillier.co.uk/

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Notes to editors:

For further media enquiries about Hillier, please contact Holly Daulby or Dani Hawkins at Honest Communications on holly@honestcommunications.co.uk or danihawkins@honestcommunications.co.uk.

About Hillier

“To inspire the creation of green living spaces for now and the future”.

Hillier is one of the leading names in the horticultural industry, with over 160 years of growing and retail experience.

Founded in 1864 by Edwin Hillier, the company remains a family-run nursery with the fifth generation now actively involved in the family business as it continues to grow.

Not only is Hillier the largest producer of semi-mature trees in Europe and grower of over one million plants at its Hampshire nursery, but it also employs over 750 staff across its nursery, amenity trees and 22 garden centre divisions and is a flourishing multi-million-pound company. It proudly holds the world record for the most consecutive gold medals awards at the world-famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show, with 74 wins.

As one of the leading growers in the UK, Hillier is involved in many peat-free initiatives, including the RHS Peat-Free Fellowship, the largest peat-free collaborative research project globally. The company was amongst the first nurseries to become 100% peat-free across both its production nursery and retail garden centres, and all Hillier plants are grown in peat-free compost.

In 2026, Hillier achieved international recognition after being crowned International Grower of the Year at the AIPH International Horticultural Industry Awards. The company also received awards for Finished Plants and Trees and Sustainability, recognising its leadership, innovation and commitment to responsible growing.

Other recent successes for the company include sponsorship of BBC Gardeners’ World Live and BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, alongside the continued success of the free ‘Hillier Gardening Club’ loyalty programme, which now has over half a million members.

Renowned for being a leading breeder of plants in the UK at its 100% peat-free nursery in Hampshire, each year Hillier introduces amazing new varieties. Many of these have become essentials in British gardens and the company continues with the tradition of innovation and the introduction of new garden plants in the present day.

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Editors notes

“To inspire the creation of green living spaces for now and the future”.

Hillier is one of the leading names in the horticultural industry, with 160 years of growing and retail experience.

Founded in 1864 by Edwin Hillier, the company remains a family-run nursery with the fifth generation now actively involved in the family business as it continues to grow.

Not only is Hillier the largest producer of semi-mature trees in Europe and grower of over one million plants at its Hampshire nursery, but it also employs over 750 staff across its nursery, amenity trees and 22 garden centre divisions and is a flourishing multi-million pound company. It proudly holds the world record for the most consecutive gold medals awards at the world-famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show, with 74 wins.

As one of the leading growers in the UK, Hillier is involved in many peat-free initiatives, including the RHS Peat-Free Fellowship, the largest peat-free collaborative research project globally. The company was amongst the first nurseries to become 100% peat-free across both its production nursery and retail garden centres, and all Hillier plants are grown in peat-free compost.

Recent successes for the company include the launch of its online shop, the substantial redevelopment of Hillier Garden Centre Newbury and the acquisition of the Rosebourne Garden Centre Group in November 2022, as well as sponsorship of BBC Gardeners’ World Live and BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, and the incredibly popular free ‘Hillier Gardening Club’ loyalty program which now has over half a million members.

Renowned for being a leading breeder of plants in the UK at its 100% peat-free nursery in Hampshire, each year Hillier introduces amazing new varieties. Many of these have become essentials in British gardens and the company continues with the tradition of innovation and the introduction of new garden plants in the present day.