[7] The company was floated on the Stock Exchange in 1997 and this led to Dobbies expanding their garden centre operations further South into England.

[8] Tesco announced its intention to purchase Dobbies Garden Centres for £155.6 million on 8 June 2007.

The legal challenge was unsuccessful,[12] and on 5 June 2008 Tesco announced that it would be compulsorily acquiring the remainder of the shares in Dobbies Garden Centres PLC.

[20][21] Dobbies announced in June 2020 that it would open a flagship store near Tewkesbury at the planned Designer Village Cotswold.

In October 2023, the company opened their largest store in Antrim in Northern Ireland, costing over £10 million to construct.

In October 2024, the chain announced the closure of 17 centres across the UK, with anticipated job losses of 465 staff in an attempt by the new owners to reduce rents and return the company to profitability.