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DOBBIES GARDEN CENTRE, SHEPTON MALLET

 

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REVIEW RESULTS - DOBBIES SHEPTON MALLET

Dobbies Garden Centre in Shepton Mallet is a modern medium to large sized garden centre. It follows the same format as most other Dobbies garden centres with lots of emphasis on non-gardening items un the main display area. Gardening goods and plants haven't been forgotten though and there is a good selection for gardeners of all types.

THE PLANTS AREA
The layout of the outside area is a rather boring affair. Virtually all the plant holders are of the same design and they are arranged in straight, boring lines. Very little thought has gone into the design, it is simply a copy of the utilitarian design of so many other modern garden centres.

At the centre of the outside area is an imposing information centre which stocks a good range of useful literature about gardens and plants. When we looked it was unmanned. However there was no shortage of staff in the outdoor area.

The paths were wide and easy to get around. A small area of the outside of the garden centre was covered but the vast majority was uncovered making plant selection a problem in wet weather. Attached to the main garden centre building was a large greenhouse type structure which housed a large number of seasonal plants which needed protection to keep them in good condition.

THE PLANTS
The plants looked very healthy, well watered and with no signs of unwanted weeds. Dobbies offer their own five year hardy plant guarantee, top class for this industry.

Most plant types were sold with a good number of varieties although Dobbies at Shepton Mallet have no specialist areas of note.

Prices were slightly higher than average, Clematis started at £8.99, roses started at £7.99, 60 litre potting compost was £6.99 or two for £10, Miracle Gro £4.99 and one litre of Westland tomato feed was £3.99. Lowest prices for a garden fork or spade was £14.99 and £18.99 for Dobbies own brand stainless steel forks and spades.

INSIDE DOBBIES AT SHEPTON MALLET
The inside sales area was attractively designed, much in the fashion of up market department store. Aisles were wide enough for wheelchair access.

Garden tools, chemicals feeds and general accessories were easy to find and all the normal brands are here at Dobbies.

The non-gardening goods (a large proportion of the sales area) was a smaller version of other larger Dobbies garden centres. This didn't really impress us though because there were lots of different sections but none was really large enough to make impression. Clothes, shoes, garden furniture, toys, books, cards even fluffy toys were featured but each only in a small way. It's as if the Dobbies formula for their larger stores has been applied to this medium -sized one with poor results.

It was good to see wide choice of indoor house plants which were not only well-displayed but well priced.

Dobbies at Shepton Mallet have their own club card scheme (the Dobbies Group scheme) with various benefits for their members. Details of the club and a comparison with the clubs of other garden centres can be found by clicking here. If you are thinking of visiting this garden centre to make a purchase it may well be worth taking a look at their discounts and rewards.

DISABLED ACCESS
Disabled access is good round all areas of Dobbies at Shepton Mallet and wheel chair users are well catered for. There are free wheelchairs available at the entrance.

OTHER STUFF
Car park - large, immediately in front of the store and on level, hard ground
Pet Centre - some pet items were available but the selection was very limited
Aquatics - Dobbies have a good aquatics area stocking lots of fish and accessories
Water Features - none was seen when we visited but this may change at other times of year
Sheds and Greenhouses - A small selection.
Bird Food - Lots of different birds foods were on sale plus a good number of bird feeding stations, both metal and wood.
Toilets - All the normal facilities were on site with disabled facilities as well. The toilets were clean and modern.

We hope you have enjoyed and benefited from this independent review of the Dobbies Garden Centre, Shepton Mallet. Remember that it is our opinion and may be the result of one visit only. If you are the owner of Dobbies Garden Centre, Shepton Mallet and want to discuss this review then please contact us by going to our "contact us" page which can be found here.

 

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