Carol Paris becomes CEO of Rosebourne

Carol Paris has become CEO of Rosebourne as Neville Prest stands down and becomes a non-executive director.

For many years Carol was operations and buying director for Garden & Leisure, working with Neville Prest who was MD.   Garden & Leisure was sold by the French chain Truffaut to Wyevale in 2013 and Carol left to become CEO of the Horticultural Trades Association, leaving in 2017.

Charles Good, Rosebourne chairman, has known Carol for well over ten years and says he is delighted to welcome her on board at these unprecedented times.

Neville Prest is standing down and is taking a NED role. Valerie Kempster, Jon Kitching and Salim Sajid, the other 3 executive directors, will continue in their roles as at present.

Rosebourne operates three sites at Weyhill, near Andover; Aldermaston near Newbury and the former Jardinerie / Wyevale site at Hampton in Arden, Solihull.

The company resists the label ‘garden centres’ for its sites as they have a slightly different retail offer, with their restaurant, butcher and farm shop being as important as the seasonal plant offer.

Its centres are closed due to Coronavirus with most staff furloughed.  It is operating a delivery service to its customers on a limited range of garden products, furniture and food Boxes.