If Wyevale Garden Centres is a successful in its bid to buy out rival Dobbies, hundreds of jobs would be at risk, sources told The Mail on Sunday.

Tesco is offloading non-core assets and Wyevale is showing a keen interest, with £175m, as it looks to expand its gardening empire.

It is understood that the bid by Wyevale owner Terra Firma, the private equity firm run by financier Guy Hands, would threaten Dobbies‘ Edinburgh head office, which employs around 180 staff.

A Dobbies deal could lead to the could affect Dobbies‘ Edinburgh-based head office, which employs about 180 staff. It could also lead to the closure of stores in areas where both retailers had competing garden centres, taking job losses up to 400.