Major DIY shop will shut three more stores TODAY with huge closing down sales
ONE of the UK's most recognisable DIY retailers is closing three more stores today.
Customers are being urged to pop by to take advantage of the whopping 90% off sales.
Homebase entered administration in November last year but was partially rescued by billionaire Chris Dawson, owner of CDS Superstores, the parent company of The Range and Wilko.
Dawson's vision for the company is to preserve as many as 70 stores, protecting 1,600 jobs.
But this also means 74 stores are now up for sale and are closing.
Today, the Bury St Edmunds branch on the Moreton Hall Estate will serve its last customers.
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It will be joined by stores in Halbeath Retail Park in Dunfermline and Moor Allerton Centre in Leeds - with both locations also closing.
It's good news for DIY fans though, as all three branches will reopen as Wickes.
CDS Superstores has also taken over the Homebase website and is flogging thousands of products at low prices.
Former Homebase stores in Ashbourne, East Dereham, and Staines reopened under The Range banner on February 14.
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In February, three more stores in Bicester, Huntingdon, and Reigate reopened their doors as The Range.
Ex-Homebase sites in Eastbourne, Oxford, and Morecambe welcomed shoppers again on February 28.
On March 1, stores in Farnham, Truro and Basingstoke also closed.
These will soon be followed by new stores in High Wycombe, Selby, and Bodmin on March 7.
Finally, Homebase locations in Edinburgh (Craigleith) and Horsham will reopen under The Range branding on March 21.
Once these additional stores reopen, the total number of former Homebase locations confirmed as acquired by The Range will rise to 26.
Which Homebase stores are closing this month?
Many of the stores are being taken over by other DIY retailers
- Farnham, Guildford Road (Closed March 1)
- Truro, Treliske Industrial Estate, Oak Lane (Closed March 1)
- Basingstoke, Winchester Road (Closed March 1 - will reopen as B&Q)
- Bracknell, Wokingham Road (Closed March 2)
- Letterkenny, Neil T Blaney Road (Closed March 2 - will reopen as B&Q)
- Bury St Edmunds, Moreton Hall Estate (Closing March 3 - will reopen as Wickes)
- Dunfermline, Halbeath Retail Park (Closing March 3 - will reopen as Wickes)
- Leeds, Moor Allerton Centre (Closing March 3 - will reopen as Wickes)
The new stores feature products usually found in The Range but some contain "Garden Centres by Homebase".
Others locations feature "Kitchens by Homebase" spaces.
In 1995, there were 82 stores in the UK.
However, in 2018, Hilco Capital purchased the hardware store chain for just £1 and since then it has closed 106 stores.
The brand, founded by the supermarket chain Sainsbury's and Belgian retailer GB-Inno-BM1979 in 1979, is one of thousands to have suffered to recover after the pandemic.
Plus, the recent turmoil in the housing market has meant that homeowners aren't as focused on DIY projects as they once were.
In the spring, Kingfisher, which owns B&Q and Screwfix, revealed that annual profits had slumped by more than a quarter.
The company reported a 25.1% drop in underlying pre-tax profits to £568million for the year to January 31, 2024.
Window and door specialist Everest called in administrators in April, leaving customers in the dark about their orders.
Last year, the group had previously cautioned profits would slip after a 36% drop in pre-tax profits from £1billion to £611million in the 12 months to January 2023.
Rival Wickes also reported a 31% fall in profits to £52million on flat revenues of £1.55billion for 2023.
Windows and doors company Safestyle collapsed into administration in October last year.
The company has a manufacturing site in Wombwell, near Barnsley and 42 sales branches and depots across the country.
