Mon, 09 Feb 2026 | BUSINESS SALE
Nursery and tree-growing business Christies (Fochabers) has been sold out of administration to Alba Trees Limited. Administrators from FRP were appointed to the Moray-based company in September 2025 and, since then, it has continued to trade as usual while a buyer was sought.
Christies has traded for more than two centuries from its base at Arradoul, near Buckie. The family-owned company had invested significantly in operations, including modern agricultural equipment, grading facilities and cold store refrigeration. The Arradoul site spans a number of agricultural buildings, tree stocks, associated land and plant and machinery.
The forestry company collapsed last year just months after selling its garden centre business to Simpsons Garden Centre in order to focus on its nursery and tree-growing business. The administration was attributed to mounting cashflow pressures and cuts to government funding for tree planting.
In the year ending August 31 2023, Christies (Fochabers) Limited reported turnover of £8.3 million, down slightly from £8.6 million a year earlier, while operating profits dropped from £1.5 million to less than £425,000. Its fixed assets were valued at £5.4 million at the time and current assets at £11.2 million, with net assets amounting to £6.3 million.
Joint administrators Graham Smith and Michelle Elliot of FRP have now sold the business and assets to specialist tree and hedging plant supplier Alba Trees Limited. The deal sees all 32 employees transfer to the buyer, ensuring continuity for Christies’ staff, suppliers and customers.
East Lothian-based Alba Trees is the largest producer of cell-grown trees in the UK. In the year to August 31 2024, the company reported turnover of around £9.8 million, up from approximately £9.2 million a year earlier. However, operating profit fell from around £958,000 to slightly less than £558,000.
The acquisition of Christies will enable Alba Trees to supply in-house bare root production alongside its existing offering, broadening its presence across restocking, new woodland creation and hedging stock.
Describing Christies as “a well-regarded business with deep roots in the local area and a strong reputation for quality”, FRP Director Graham Smith said that continuing to trade the business during administration meant that the joint administrators were able “to preserve value and run a structured sale process”, resulting in a positive outcome.
He added: "We’re pleased to have secured a buyer in Alba Trees that has the expertise and scale to build on Christies’ heritage, and we would like to thank the staff and customers for their continued support throughout the process.”
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