Gardner & Scardifield, a building materials and DIY supplier founded in Lancing more than a century ago, has announced it will close its Lancing garden centre as a standalone branch and fold its operations into the company’s Penhill Road site. The South Street store is set to cease trading at the end of September, the firm said as it blamed the current economic climate and difficult trading conditions for physical shops.
What the change means for staff and customers
The company employs about 160 people across the county. Management said the decision was a difficult one and forms part of a strategy to consolidate operations and focus on the business’s core offering. The Lancing garden centre will stop trading next month, with many of its products — including compost, tools, fencing, coal and logs — to be stocked at the Penhill Road branch.
- Closure date: End of September
- Staff employed across county: About 160
- Products to be retained: Compost, garden tools and accessories, fencing, coal, logs
“The current economic climate, combined with the tough trading conditions for physical retail shops, have unfortunately forced us to make this change, consolidate our operations into another branch and focus on our core offering.”
The company said it is working to improve frontage and space at Penhill Road “to be able to showcase this offering next spring” and expressed confidence it will continue to service customers in a similar way from the alternative location. It also thanked colleagues who have worked at the Lancing branch over the years.
Context: retail pressure and consolidation
The move is symptomatic of broader trends affecting brick-and-mortar retail in the UK. Retailers face a combination of squeezed household budgets, online competition and rising costs; firms frequently respond by consolidating sites, reducing overhead and concentrating stock in fewer locations. For customers, a merger of branches can mean fewer local shopping options and longer journeys; for workers, it can mean relocation, altered hours or redundancies, depending on how the consolidation is managed.
Gardner & Scardifield’s statement did not specify the number of staff at the Lancing garden centre who will be directly affected or whether roles will transfer to the Penhill Road site. The lack of detailed staffing information leaves open key questions about job losses or changes to terms and conditions — matters of immediate concern to employees and the wider local labour market.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Company presence in Lancing | Established more than a century ago |
| Planned change | Close Lancing garden centre; merge into Penhill Road branch |
| Employees (county-wide) | About 160 |
| Products to remain available | Compost, tools, fencing, coal, logs |
Implications for prices, availability and jobs
Consolidation can keep costs lower for a business by reducing duplicate overheads, but those savings do not automatically translate into lower prices for consumers. Where rival local outlets are limited, reduced competition can leave shoppers with fewer choices and potentially higher prices. For staff, transferring to a single, larger site can mean changed shift patterns or commuting costs — factors that hit take-home pay and household budgets.
The company’s pledge to improve the Penhill Road frontage by next spring suggests a medium-term investment in the consolidated site, yet it also indicates a retreat from multiple local presences. For a firm that traces its roots back more than 100 years in Lancing, the decision reflects how enduring local institutions are being reshaped by modern retail economics.
Outside the firm’s statement, no further details were provided on redundancy numbers or specific plans for affected employees. In the coming weeks, staff and customers will be watching closely for clarity on how the consolidation will be implemented and whether promised improvements at Penhill Road will offset the loss of a long-standing local outlet.
