家族传承与历史沿革
英国 Squire’s 花园中心（Squire’s Garden Centres）是一家由 Squire 家族持续经营的园艺企业，1936 年由 D.J. Squire 在伦敦西区创立，最初以景观园艺工程起步；1964 年 Twickenham 门店开业，使 Squire’s 成为英国最早一批真正意义上的花园中心企业之一。Squire 家族一直是公司主线，D.J. Squire 的儿子 Colin Squire OBE 长期主导日常运营，至今仍深度参与业务；现任董事长由 Colin 的女儿 Sarah Squire 担任，企业已稳定传承至第三代。
门店网络与地理布局
目前 Squire’s 在 Surrey（萨里）、Sussex（苏塞克斯）、Berkshire（伯克郡）以及伦敦北部与西部运营 17 家花园中心，覆盖伦敦通勤圈与英国家庭园艺消费最活跃的东南部地区。每家门店均配备免费停车场和 Café Bar，提供早餐、咖啡茶饮、午餐与下午茶服务，方便顾客把一次逛店安排成半日行程；门店周边 5-7 英里（约 8-11 公里）半径内的顾客还可以通过线上商城下单，享受本地配送到家服务。
商品结构与配套服务
Squire’s 的核心商品以优质盆栽植物与园艺资材为主，配套品类延伸到户外家具、室内绿植、礼品，以及宠物与水生生物用品——Badshot Lea、Twickenham、Stanmore、Washington 四家门店设有完整的宠物与水族部门，West Horsley 门店则单独保留水族专区。门店常年配备受过专业训练的园艺工作人员，为顾客解答植物选择与栽培管理方面的问题。
本地社区与学校教育
Squire’s 与本地学校和社区保持长期联系，常年面向不同年龄段开设园艺工作坊，把鼓励新一代接触园艺作为公司重要的社会参与内容。各门店员工每年自行投票选定的本地慈善机构会获得公司专项支持。2022 年 Squire’s 完成对 Horsham 地区 Barnsfold 苗圃的收购，使公司在时隔多年后重新具备相当规模的自产穴盘苗与一年生花坛植物能力，把更多自有产能重新带回花园中心货架。
行业奖项与行业地位
Squire’s 在园艺行业内多次获奖，是英国花园中心协会（Garden Centre Association, GCA）多年获奖名单上的常客，包括 2017 年与 2015 年 Hersham 门店的 GCA 年度花园中心、2018 年 Shepperton 门店英格兰最佳花园中心、2019 年 Shepperton 与 Hersham 同时获得 GCA 北泰晤士与南泰晤士地区年度花园中心，以及 2023 年 Hersham 门店 Ruxley Rose 最佳植物区奖项和 Frensham 门店最佳食品馆/农产品店奖项。在面向公众的园艺展览上，Squire’s 自 2015 年起连续三年在伦敦汉普顿宫花展（RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show）上获得认可，先后凭「Urban Oasis」（2015 年）、「Squire’s 80 周年纪念花园」（2016 年获金奖及公众评选奖）与「The Urban Rain Garden」（2017 年获银镀金奖及公众评选奖）三座展示花园在英国园艺行业确立稳定的影响力。
Family Heritage
Squire’s traces its origins to 1936, when D.J. Squire set up a landscape gardening business in the west London area. The opening of the Twickenham garden centre in 1964 marked its transition into one of the earliest true garden centre operations in the UK. Three generations of the Squire family have steered the company since then: D.J.’s son Colin Squire OBE ran the business for many years and continues to play an active part in its operations today, while D.J.’s granddaughter Sarah Squire serves as the current Chairman of the company.
Store Network and Geographic Reach
The group now operates 17 Squire’s garden centres spread across Surrey, Sussex, Berkshire and north and west London, covering much of the busiest family-gardening catchment in the south-east of England. Every centre offers free parking and a Café Bar serving breakfast, drinks, light meals and afternoon tea, and the online shop delivers plants and gardening goods within a 5-7 mile radius of each store for customers who prefer to order from home.
Product Range and In-store Services
Squire’s core range covers quality outdoor plants and gardening essentials, alongside outdoor furniture, houseplants and gifts. Four centres – Badshot Lea, Twickenham, Stanmore and Washington – run full pets and aquatics departments, while West Horsley keeps an aquatics-only counter. Qualified horticultural staff are on hand across the estate to advise customers on plant selection and ongoing care, reflecting the company’s long-running focus on customer service standards.
Community and Education
The group maintains long-standing ties with local schools and community organisations and runs a year-round programme of gardening workshops aimed at different age groups, with a stated aim of encouraging new generations to take up horticulture. Each store’s staff nominate a local charity to support each year. In 2022 Squire’s acquired Barnsfold Nurseries, a Horsham-based bedding plant supplier that had worked with the group for many years, marking a return to in-house production of a significant share of the bedding and patio plants sold across the estate.
Industry Awards and Recognition
Squire’s features regularly on the Garden Centre Association (GCA) award lists, including GCA Garden Centre of the Year at Hersham in 2017 and 2015, Best Garden Centre in England at Shepperton in 2018, simultaneous GCA North Thames and South Thames Garden Centre of the Year at Shepperton and Hersham in 2019, the Ruxley Rose Award for Best Plant Area at Hersham in 2023 and Best Food Hall / Farm Shop at Frensham in 2023. At the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show the group has won three consecutive medals for its show gardens: Silver Gilt for “Urban Oasis” in 2015, Gold plus “People’s Choice” for “Squire’s 80th Anniversary Garden” in 2016, and Silver Gilt plus “People’s Choice” for “The Urban Rain Garden” in 2017.
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