Jobs saved as SarahRaven.com bought out of administration

Major national gardening brand Sarah Raven Kitchen & Garden Ltd has been rescued with a Management Buy-out via a Prepack Administration, saving jobs at the company and enabling the business to grow again in the future.

Creditors of Sarah Raven Kitchen & Garden Ltd, which dispatches tens of millions of plants, bulbs, seeds and horticultural products to nearly a million customers, appointed Robert Ferne and David Rubin of Begbies Traynor Group as Joint Administrators on 14 July 2025, after the company had fallen into financial difficulty.

The rescue of the company was completed on 14 July 2025 after Begbies Traynor Group approached more than 100 potential buyers and investors. The Joint Administrators determined that an offer from Sarah Raven, in partnership with one of the company’s major suppliers, delivered the best return for creditors and employees, as well as giving the company an opportunity to build again.

A significant majority of the assets of Sarah Raven Kitchen & Garden Ltd have been acquired by the successor company, which will continue to operate and trade through the SarahRaven.com website. All forward orders and vouchers will be honoured, and all employees will be transferred to the new company.

Creditors will be compensated through the sale of certain assets, and a continuing royalty interest in the new company. Osborne Clarke also advised on the deal.

A new injection of capital will facilitate the transition to a new, simpler operating model, focusing on core profitable categories and 3rd party fulfilment.

David Rubin, Senior Partner at Begbies Traynor, said:

“The company had experienced a number of years of growth and had also invested in expansion of the business by acquiring its own nursery, integrating technology and creating jobs for people in the area. It had built strong foundations and a very good core business for the future. Unfortunately, inflationary cost rises, tax changes on certain kinds of plants and other pressures on the business had weighed down on those foundations and pushed it into financial difficulty.

“It needed to seek a way forward to ensure its suppliers and creditors were paid, its employee jobs protected and that it could once more build on the foundations it had laid. After exploring all options, this route delivered a very good outcome for all stakeholders.  It is because of this action that the business and its employees, with a refreshed leadership team, can look forward to serving its customers again.”

Sarah Raven said:

“Building this brand has been my life’s work - with the ambition to bring all the pleasures and impact of colour-drenched and environmentally-friendly gardening into green spaces across the country. The past few years have been challenging for British horticultural retailers, suppliers, and entrepreneurs, and despite all of our hard work, this is a necessary restructure of SarahRaven.com to guarantee the survival of the business.

“I have worked hard with the management team to put together a viable bid to secure the future of the business. With the support of my family, and a major supplier, my ambition is to continue with everything we love about the best of gardening for our hundreds of thousands of loyal customers, for our dedicated and talented team, and for our network of suppliers, large and small across the UK and beyond.”