ST. ALBERT, ALTA. — Hole's Greenhouses and Gardens Ltd., believed to be one of the largest independent retail garden centres in Canada, has been sold.

The decades-old business, based in St. Albert near Edmonton, says in a statement that the operation has been purchased by agriculture company TEC Property Inc., with the official takeover to happen Jan. 1.

The Hole family says it has decided to focus on its private label merchandise, which is manufactured in Alberta.

TEC Property owns the Enjoy Centre complex in St. Albert, which the Holes began work on in 2009 and sold to TEC in 2015 to focus on their greenhouse business.

Current staff will stay on and the Hole name will remain on the building.

The family will help with the changeover until the end of June.

Spokesman Jim Hole said in the statement Monday that it's an "emotional" time for the family.

"It's a privilege to share knowledge of gardening with the community for such a long time, and we will continue to do so."

The greenhouse business was started nearly 50 years ago by Jim Hole's parents, Ted and Lois Hole, who transformed their red barn into the family's first retail store.

Jim Hole, along with his brother, Bill, and his sister-in-law, Valerie, took over the company in 1979 and began to expand it.

Lois Hole, who was known as a gardening guru, philanthropist and education advocate, was also Alberta's 15th lieutenant-governor.