Terra Firma reported to be among bidders for Garden Centre Group

They have lodged preliminary and non-binding bids for Garden Centre Group with Rothschild, the firm handling the auction, in the last few days.

The 130-centre chain is expected to fetch around £300m.

Other interested parties are said to include private equity firms such as Bridgepoint and retailers including Wm Morrison.

Garden Centre Group chief executive Nicholas Marshall told Horticulture Week:

"There is a lot of interest in the company but I can’t go into detail about who is bidding and who isn’t at the moment because that would be unfair. The amount of interest is not surprising because we are unique and it’s a one-off opportunity. We’re all very optimistic because considering where the economy is and the international financial situation I think people see us as a very exciting asset."