AWARD-WINNING garden centre Webbs of Wychbold is set to undergo major expansion in a £5m building project starting next week.

The work will add an extra 62,000 sq ft of new covered retail space - trebling the existing area and making Webbs one of the largest independent garden centres in the UK.

The expansion will allow the Worcester Road company to increase facilities such as extending the restaurant, improving till facilities and trading space for successful departments, as well as introducing new product ranges.

Webbs is already the biggest garden centre in the Midlands and a major local employer with around 300 members of staff.

The expansion is likely to mean an extra 70 jobs. At the start of the year, Webbs was officially named the top plant seller in Britain by judges from The Garden Centre Association.

Managing director Ed Webb said: "These are very exciting new developments for the company. We already have over a million visitors a year and the new area will mean we can offer our customers an even wider choice of products in inspirational and comfortable surroundings. As always we will continue to put high standards of customer service and expertise at the core of everything we do."

He added: "We passionately believe continued investment in the garden centre at Wychbold will enable us to reward our loyal customers with a truly unique shopping experience and introduce a whole new generation of customers to Webbs for years to come."

Webbs is a family business success story going back to the middle of the 19th century when Edward Webb was a successful agricultural seeds merchant.

Its seeds became a household name and the firm was appointed seedsmen to every monarch in succession from Queen Victoria to Elizabeth II. Ed Webb has recently taken over from his father Richard as managing director, who has guided the growth of the business over the last 30 years.

The new areas are expected to open in mid-summer 2006.