BOSSES at Haskins Garden Centres are “positive” about the future after the business made a profit despite Covid.

Garden centres were shut for eight weeks during the first coronavirus lockdown, just after the Dorset-headquartered business acquired three sites and rebuilt another.

But the company still made a pre-tax profit of £3.9million in the year ending February 2021, up from £600,000 the year before.

Julian Winfield, chief executive of Haskins Garden Centres, said: “We were extremely concerned at the start of the pandemic with the lockdown and all the uncertainties. However, Haskins was able to re-open in late May 2020 and has traded very well since that time, due in part to homes and gardens playing an increasingly important part in our customers’ lives.

“Our restaurants were shut for a longer period and at this point in time have returned to around 85 per cent of pre-pandemic trading, with continual slow signs of recovery.

“We’re positive about the outlook for Haskins for the next few years ahead, as we continue to develop our business, look to create more employment, and provide wonderful destinations for our customers to enjoy.’”

Haskins has five garden centres including the one at its Ferndown base. It acquired Forest Lodge, Garden Style and the tourist attraction Birdworld, all in Farnham, Surrey, in February 2020.

It also redeveloped its Snowhill centre in West Sussex, which reopened six weeks before the first national Covid lockdown.

During the first lockdown, Haskins had to send plants for composting as supermarkets and DIY stores were allowed to sell them while garden centres were closed.

Garden centres stayed shut from March until May 2020 but the restaurants which form an important part of the business were kept closed until July.

Haskins’ gross profit was up 22.9 per cent to £13m and turnover rose 22.4 per cent to £38.4m, on the back of the acquisition of the Farnham businesses and the reopening of Snowhill.

The average number of staff stood at 793 over the year, compared with 616 the year before.

In his annual report, Mr Haskins wrote: “During the course of the year, the retail business was closed for nearly eight weeks and the restaurants and visitor centre were closed for a total of 24 weeks.

“As a result, a considerable amount of management time was spent preparing the business for reopening, with all the necessary social distancing measures required to protect our staff and customers once the business reopened.

“We also undertook major cost reviews to mitigate the effect of the reduced turnover in the business, and we were further supported by our shareholders waiting their dividends for the year.”

The business also used the furlough and coronavirus business interruption loan schemes.