‘Excellent’ position for future of Simpsons Garden Centre
Turnover increased by more than a £2.5 million for the owner of one of Inverness’s leading garden centres last year.
Simpson Highview – which runs Simpsons Garden Centre and a site in Mintlaw – also experienced a rise in pre-tax profit in the year ending January 7, 2022.
A strategic report accompanying the firm’s latest accounts stated: “The director is satisfied with the results for the year and the progress made integrating the new site in Mintlaw and the construction of a new entrance in Inverness.
“From December 25, 2020 to April 5, 2021 both sites were closed through trade restrictions enforced by the Scottish Government, a move which was not repeated by the UK government.
“The UK government implemented several initiatives, all of which have helped the company during this difficult time, however, this was no way [sic] near the level required to cover the significant losses that were incurred during this period of closure.”
It went on: “Once permitted to reopen, the company experienced difficulty sourcing stock as garden centres in England and the DIY stores in Scotland used up most of the available stock lines.
“Despite the above and the challenges still faced, Covid-19 has introduced many new people to gardening and the health and wellbeing it creates.
“This, together with return to near-normal levels of turnover, gives the director confidence that the company is [in] an excellent position for the future to take advantage of any opportunities that may arise.”
Turnover increased from £4,189,193 in 2020/21 to £6,859,491 for the following 12 months. For the same period, pre-tax profit rose from £102,136 to £202,562.
Meanwhile, the average number of employees dropped from 139 to 127
and staff costs increased from £1,581,778 to £2,149,954.
