Dobbies to shut Inverness and Stockbridge stores

Garden centre business Dobbies plans to shut a large store in Inverness and a smaller shop in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, as part of a UK-wide restructuring plan.

The Inverness shop, which has six full-time and 27 part-time staff, opened in a former Focus DIY store at Inshes Retail Park in 2013.

A spokesperson told BBC Scotland News: "Subject to the restructuring plan being approved, we expect this store to cease trading by the end of the year. Until that time, the store will remain open as usual."

A Little Dobbies in Stockbridge could also close under the plan aimed at tackling "historically uneconomical" rental costs. Edinburgh's large store is unaffected.

The company said across the UK it planned to shut 11 of its larger sites and six Little Dobbies stores.

It said 465 of its 3,600 workers would be affected by the closures.