A huge new garden centre is set to open off the M57 following the closure of Whitakers flagship site.
Whitakers, on Liverpool Road in Prescot, was considered a landmark garden centre when it opened in 1923. Set in 22 acres of countryside, Whitakers sold home and garden products and served breakfast and lunch in its café.
The site had its last day of trading on Sunday, March 26, with shoppers saying a final goodbye. But, fans of the garden centre will be pleased to know Whitakers now has a new site just one mile away from Liverpool Road.
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The venue on Manchester Road will open to the public on Thursday, April 6. It will offer shoppers around 1,500 square metres of retail space which will stock outdoor and indoor plants, garden furniture, accessories and equipment.
Whitakers said they have selected suppliers and ranges for the new store to offer customers a wide range of products while providing value for money.
The garden centre will also house a new, larger café for customers, with both internal and external seating. Prior to Thursday's opening, the ECHO took a look inside Whitakers.
Photos show the arrival of bedding plants and nursery stock from Merseyside suppliers including Glovers Farm Nurseries in Melling, Sintons Nurseries in Halsall and Ivan Ambrose Nursery in Lydiate.
Whitakers new range of Grillstream barbecues took centre stage along with houseplants from the Dutch market. Staff were also seen setting up gardening furniture, accessories and tools.
The bistro is separate from the store and will feature an updated menu, including an all-day breakfast and homemade scones and baked goods.
Ian Lammond, Whitakers garden centre manager said: "It’s been a crazy few months developing the new Whitakers site, but after a lot of hard work and determination we are so pleased to be able to announce the opening date to all our wonderful customers.
"We are so excited to welcome our customers through our doors, and hopefully everyone will love our new store even more than before.”
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