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Our Vision
Our vision is to inspire and engage people to experience the joy of creating and living in beautiful outdoor spaces.
We pride ourselves on providing exceptional customer service and working together as “one team” to help and support each other.
If you are looking for a new role where you can get hands-on, view our jobs below and apply today!
JOLYON MARTIN
Managing Director
Chessington Garden Centre is an independent, family-owned business that has been running for over 50 years
We are incredibly proud of the Garden Centre and we recruit people that share our passion for our range of services which include:
- Outdoor Living
- Pets
- Wildlife
- Aquatics
- Locally Sourced Food
- Beautifully Cooked Food
Our History
1949
A young Alex Martin at the age of 8 started growing and selling fruit and veg. By the age of 25, Alex set up a small shop on Leatherhead Road selling fresh produce and roses.
1967
Alex gets married to Ruth who then joins him in the business. They purchase a second-hand prefabricated house for £100 and are now growing 100,000 roses alongside bedding plants and fruit and veg.
1977
Alex buys two massive greenhouses. The warehouse is installed, followed by the first pine cabin -the main building you can see from the road and the entrance to the garden centre.
Alex and Ruth then have 3 children named Rachel, Rebecca, and Jolyon, who begin helping out behind the tills and serving coffee from the age of just 9 years old!
1999
A Restaurant is opened as the 'Citrus' restaurant in 1999, soon to be named 'Chessington Bistro'. With the help of Alex and Ruth's Son, Jolyon, the Garden Centre improved day by day, which resulted in the opening of the Pets and Aquatics Centre in 2002. Rebecca then re-joins in 2003 in HR.
2007
In 2007, the first Christmas Grotto was opened. Just 2 years later, in 2009, it was named Surrey's biggest and best Santa's Grotto. After a few years Alex and Ruth handed the business over to Jolyon.
2021 - Present
Fast forward to 2020, whilst the Covid lockdown was tough on the business, a brand new ecommerce website was created, as well as the Sedum Farm Shop and Sedum Butchers being built.
Hear from our Employees
I worked full time as a buyer and then took a career break to focus on family life.
I live locally and had always been a regular customer at the Garden Centre. I always liked the atmosphere and felt the range of products and customer service was exceptional.
I applied and joined the tills and info team initially part time. Most of my time was spent working on the information desk. I really enjoyed the customer interaction, variance and daily challenges. Later on, I was very fortunate to be asked to assist with the Christmas product buying. This is something that I absolutely love doing.
I am now a retail assistant working 4 days a week. It is a great work-life balance.
Lyn
Retail Assistant
I started working at Chessington in November 2012 as an Elf in the Christmas Grotto, which was my first real experience in customer service. Afterward, I applied for a permanent Sales Assistant role in the furniture department, though I wasn't initially sure if retail was for me.
Now, 12 years later, I'm the Purchasing Manager, responsible for sourcing non-food and non-plant items. I enjoy the variety in my role, especially the seasonal shifts between Summer Gardening, Outdoor Living, and Christmas, and I’ve been supported with training and guidance throughout my journey.
Charlie
Purchasing Manager
What to Expect
Current Vacancies
Chef Role
Thank you for your interest in joining our team. At this time, we are not hiring for any roles. Please check back later or follow us on our social media channels for future updates and opportunities.
