Bathstore saved by Homebase as DIY chain agrees to buy 44 stores

BATHSTORE has been saved by Homebase as the DIY chain agrees to buy 44 of its stores and the website.

The struggling bathroom retailer went into administration at the end of last month - at a time when it employed 531 people and had 135 stores.

Since administrators BDO were appointed, some 159 redundancies have been made at Bathstore.

The move by Homebase will save 154 jobs on the shopfloor and another 25 at head office. You can find a full list of the saved stores in the box below.

The retailer said it will also roll out a number of Bathstore concessions into its stores over the coming 18 months.

Yet the remaining 91 Bathstore branches not included in the deal will close once display stock has been sold off, meaning the roughly 200 staff members will lose their jobs.

Of these, 36 stores have already shut its doors.

Homebase will be responsible for Bathstore orders made from today onwards so if you splashed out before this, you can check out your refund and installation rights here.

Bathstore's struggles have been blamed on several months of difficult trading, as well as the failure of talks to find a buyer.

Ryan Grant, business restructuring partner of BDO, said: "In a difficult situation, we have been able to secure the future of the Bathstore brand and the transfer of 44 stores to Homebase to maximise realisations for creditors and protect as many jobs as possible."

Meanwhile, Damian McGloughlin, chief executive of Homebase, said: "We are absolutely delighted to welcome Bathstore into the Homebase family.

"Since the launch of our turnaround plan just over 12 months ago, we have been focusing on reintroducing the popular ranges and products that our customers have been crying out for."

"As a result of the hard work of the Homebase team, our turnaround is ahead of plan.

"While we still have a significant amount of work to do, the customer response to our new ranges has been very encouraging and we are on track to break even this year," he added.

The British high street is reeling from a growing list of administrators and store closures.

Retailers of big-ticket items, such as furniture and home fittings, have faced challenges as consumers hold back on making major purchases amid economic uncertainty.

In the home and furniture sector, Carpetright was among those to shut stores and ask for rent reductions last year.

Meanwhile, bed maker Warren Evans and furniture seller Fabb Sofas both went into administration in 2018, though the former reappeared in a new form online earlier this year.

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