Country Dog Garden Centre in Paeroa is a growing business and local landmark on a site which has hosted a garden centre for nearly 70 years.

Fronting onto the main road from Paeroa to Thames, the garden centre at 28 Thames Road offers a lifestyle business opportunity to live and work amid lush greenery near the centre of the growing Hauraki service town.

The land, buildings and business sustaining Country Dog Garden Centre are now being marketed for sale as a freehold going concern. Sale is by way of a tender closing on 25 February (unless sold prior), through Bayleys Hamilton.

Salespeople Steven Pett and David Cashmore said assets for sale included land, buildings and stock incorporating a wide range of trees, shrubs and other plants.

Mr Pett said the approximately 2,889 square metres of freehold land across three titles contained a fully-stocked retail shop and staff room, a large plant canopy space for shelter and displays, a dedicated potting shed and garage, plus a two-storey, four-bedroom home and office of some 196 square metres.

“Nestled in a tranquil garden setting, this home offers the owners a place of relaxation after dealing with the business during the day, enhancing the lifestyle attraction of owning this business,” Mr Pett said.

The Thames Road site includes eight off-street car parks for ease of loading supplies, with unlimited roadside parking outside. It is zoned Residential under Hauraki District Council’s district plan.

“This is a great opportunity to purchase Paeroa’s premium garden centre with a lifestyle to match. Country Dog is a loved part of the local community and is well respected in the horticultural industry,” said Mr Pett.

“This is an exceptionally well-run business with highly knowledgeable, efficient and loyal staff. The garden centre delivers excellent profits and is growing, and the business comes with opportunities to investigate further development and growth – perhaps by adding a coffee shop or another dwelling or exploring future redevelopment options.”

Mr Pett said Country Dog catered to an expanding customer base. “Customers near and far are restocking and changing their garden ideas through the skills and time they acquired during the challenging past year. This has seen business performance exceed all expectations in the Covid-19 era.”

Detailed information about business performance and assets is available to potential buyers subject to signing a confidentiality agreement.

Country Dog Garden Centre has been owned and operated for the past four years by Bruce Steele, who has developed it into a leading performer in the area.

His previous projects have included the site design for Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium for the 1990 Commonwealth Games, and the new site for the Ellerslie Flower Show when it moved from Ellerslie Racecourse to the Regional Botanic Gardens in Manurewa.

Mr Cashmore said a new owner could choose to run the business themselves, or semi-manage the garden centre while harnessing the experience and knowledge of the existing managers and professional sales team.

The centre was positioned strategically at the heart of a growing town population with access to a wider customer catchment in surrounding areas along with significant through traffic, he said.

“Paeroa’s population grew by nearly 12.5 percent to 4,269 in the five years to the 2018 census. The town is an important service centre for the Hauraki District. It’s also a popular stop roughly halfway between Auckland, Tauranga, and Rotorua.

“Paeroa serves as a southern gateway to the Coromandel Peninsula, and is the western gateway to the Bay of Plenty via the Karangahake Gorge. An intensified visitor focus, including the growth of popular cycle trails, is putting Paeroa on the map for visitors from further afield which has provided further support for the local economy,” said Mr Cashmore.