GARDEN centre operator Blooms of Bressing-ham said that its tills jingled over Christmas as changes to its festive ranges proved a winner with shoppers.

The Gloucestershire-based group conceded that it had been worried about the strength of consumer spending, but trading during the nine weeks to December 28 had met its hopes.

This was underlined by a 5.7 per cent rise in like-for-like sales at its centres other than Gloucester and Rugby, which opened within the past 12 months.

One indication that shoppers can be tempted into spending money if the ranges are right was a 3.3% rise in the number of customers visiting its established sites.

Seymour Pierce analyst Richard Ratner, who expects Blooms to post pre-tax profits of £850,000 for the full year, said: "We believe that garden centres are one of the few areas of retailing likely to do well over the next few years."

The tone of the trading statement from Blooms was in contrast to that adopted by major rival Wyevale Garden Centres as it announced a string of job losses and led to shares in both companies moving in opposite directions.

Wyevale said the potential redundancy of 66 members of staff at its head office in Hereford would enhance services for customers and keep costs under control at a time when it is operating "in a very competitive and challenging retail environment".

The restructuring, which will see marketing and retail functions transferred to a new site in west London, will save the company around £1.5 million each year.

Wyevale said all staff would be given the opportunity to apply for positions at the two head office locations, but it hoped to complete the changes by Easter.

Wyevale has 124 centres in the UK - dwarfing Blooms which owns eight sites at Bressingham in Norfolk, Bicester in Oxfordshire, Swindon, Rugby, Cheltenham, Cardiff, Solihull and Haresfield, Gloucester.

Like-for-like sales in the second half of Blooms' financial year were up 2.6%, ensuring that its annual results are only likely to show a fall of 1.3% overall.

Blooms added that a careful control of stock meant that it was able to avoid unusually