A major garden centre chain has announced that its two stores in Suffolk will remain open despite closing shops as part of a major shake-up.

It was announced on Tuesday that Dobbies would shut 17 unprofitable sites across the UK, but its stores in Woodbridge and Bury St Edmunds were not included on the list. 

In total, 11 of the culled stores are mainline sites and six are smaller Little Dobbies. 

A report by Retail Gazette stated that 465 of the firm's 3,600 employees would be affected by the move.

Dobbies, which is open seven days a week, sells a range of indoors and outdoor plants as well as garden furniture. 

Its stores in Bury St Edmunds and Woodbridge both have cafes that are popular with the local community. 

The business was first founded as a seed merchant by James Dobbie in Renfrew, Scotland, in 1865 and it currently operates 77 stores nationwide.

The King's Lynn store in Norfolk has been earmarked for closure.