Upheaval at Homebase again
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neilmcl
Posts: 19,460 Forumite
Within 2 years of Hombase being taken over for a proposed exciting new venture in home diy retail the new owner, Bunnings, has sold on the concern for £1 in what some have termed as being "the most disastrous retail acquisition in the UK ever".
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/mar/30/homebase-is-undoubtedly-the-most-disastrous-retail-acquisition-in-the-uk-ever
I use my local store quite a lot and initially there was a bit of a buzz about the place about what was about to happen, especially when new stock lines started to appear with some really good deals going on but then things slowly started to turn for the worse with store starting to resemble yet another faceless diy warehouse, with swathes of areas being stripped back and stock piled high
One thing I could never understand was the huge increase in staff in the store which didn't really seem to be required. Sadly I imagine a lot of them, plus the some of the long termers who have been some of the most helpful members of retail staff I've met are now in danger of losing their jobs.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/mar/30/homebase-is-undoubtedly-the-most-disastrous-retail-acquisition-in-the-uk-ever
I use my local store quite a lot and initially there was a bit of a buzz about the place about what was about to happen, especially when new stock lines started to appear with some really good deals going on but then things slowly started to turn for the worse with store starting to resemble yet another faceless diy warehouse, with swathes of areas being stripped back and stock piled high
One thing I could never understand was the huge increase in staff in the store which didn't really seem to be required. Sadly I imagine a lot of them, plus the some of the long termers who have been some of the most helpful members of retail staff I've met are now in danger of losing their jobs.
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Comments
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I didn't know this but faceless diy warehouse fits them exactly. I wondered what was going on!0
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In the article i read it stated Bunnings will revert to Homebase . whether or not they stay open remains to be seen . Potentially a lot of jobs at risk .0
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The trouble with a lot of these places is that they've never got what you want. There's nobody to answer questions, or "help" you if you're not really sure what you're buying. They just stock the shop with stuff - and if you know what you're buying then you can buy one and leave.
I look round and think "there are some wonderful things in here, if only I could ask, with confidence, about this fitting, or if that'd work, or what else I need, or about sizing ... etc.
I think there's a market, too, for "little man" services. e.g. beside the letterboxes there could be a little sign "Like it? Want it? Let us fit it for you for only £...." - because so many of us don't want to be learning new skills and acquiring new tools just to fit one small item. This type of thing would lure us in there more often .... to add more and more things and tat to our homes.0 -
Would not be my first choice for hardware gardening etc .
Limited stock often higher price .
B&Q and Screwfix own that market place now .0 -
B&Q were clever in recruiting older and ex-tradespeople to work in the store and encourage them to advise people how to do the things. We don't have a branch where we now live, but our old store used to lay on demo days where they show how to do various tasks.PasturesNew wrote: »...I look round and think "there are some wonderful things in here, if only I could ask, with confidence, about this fitting, or if that'd work, or what else I need, or about sizing ... etc. ...
I don't know if they still do this.0 -
I think this was part of the problem though. Homebase was much more than your standard hardware/diy warehouse, until Bunnings took over and totally misunderstood it's place in the market.Would not be my first choice for hardware gardening etc .
Limited stock often higher price .
B&Q and Screwfix own that market place now .0 -
Same old story I am afraid too many places selling the same overpriced cr*p.....0
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I think this was part of the problem though. Homebase was much more than your standard hardware/diy warehouse, until Bunnings took over and totally misunderstood it's place in the market.
The drop in value of the pound v the Aus dollar played a part too, bringing in items like a log splitter priced at £130, the weather also played a part too. Some serious restructuring needs to happen, was last year they reported they made an $89m loss in its first full financial year.0 -
This is the laziest arguement to why a business fails...greyteam1959 wrote: »Same old story I am afraid too many places selling the same overpriced cr*p.....Don't trust a forum for advice. Get proper paid advice. Any advice given should always be checked0 -
B & Q seem to concentrate on huge sales areas on the edge of a city (it does as far as Cardiff is concerned) - it's just not worth it to have a wander around to travel the five or six miles. Easier going to Homebase - one two miles away, with Morrisons nearby, and another in a retail Park area with almost a dozen other places to visit nearby.
Problems, assuming everyone in the UK wants a barbeque - judging by the numbers they have on display, incompetent buying and stock control - judging by stacks of products - looks worse than What!
Abandoning nectar - was an incentive before to go there after a nectar promo mailing. Now bought more plants from Morrisons!
Customer service - didn't expect to find it that way - but B & Q are better.I used to work for Tesco - now retired - speciality Clubcard0
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