Homebase

Our local Dobbies is one of those closing. It was originally planned for mid January but they recently announced they are closing a week before Christmas. Wonderful timing for the workers there, but those at the top rarely care.

 

The homebase near me now has a closing down administration sale but the reduction on most products is only from 10-20% so still dearer than most of their competition. It's sad for the staff as most had been there years and years but it was never particularly busy.

 

The Homebase here closed years ago. The one in the town where I was working at the time closed then as well.

 

My local one is still doing its closing down sale , the arent rock bottom prices though

 

When I looked in Homebase the prices were only 10% to 20% off. Still cheaper to buy elsewhere which probably explains why they aren't doing well.

 

My OH called in at our local branch at lunchtime. Things reduced by as much as 50% but lots of empty shelves where things such as tools and paints had been. He got the impression that a lot of "easily sellable" items had been removed, rather than actually sold to members of the public.

 

I went to my local one yesterday. Picked up garden canes and netting at over 50% off.

 

Probably returned to/seized by supplier as settlement of unpaid invoices etc. 'Title is retained in goods until payment is received' being standard terms of supply.

 

My Homebase finally ceased trading on Saturday. There were “at least 80% off” notices outside that day, but the stock inside was limited to a pile of plastic pots and some random bits and bobs at the entrance. The rest was completely bare, even shelving gone. Now, a few stray trolleys haunt the car park, but that’s about it. The burger van has gone and We Buy Any Car hut has been abandoned.

It looks a bit eerie. I’m not confident any retail company will take over the space. Maybe it will get converted into affordable flats or something.

 

The site that was our Homebase became a used car sales lot. Not sure whether it still is, I don't go past there very often. The one in Lincoln was knocked down and student flats built on the site.

 

The one near us has 4 days left. Nearly everything has been stripped out apart from a load of duvets and pillows, which I didn't know they sold anyway.
It felt strange going in there, a bit like crows picking over a skeleton.

 

I went to Homebase Monday

99% is gone .. I bought a huge carton of bloodfish and bone and an insect spray .. £2.75

I said to the very nice lady on the till who has worked there for years ,, they will put a for sale on her soon lol

it has to close this week , I was told the Range stores have bought the garden centre part of the business .. ?

Spruce

 

We have a Range store a stone’s throw away (literally). The garden centre bit is fairly small, so maybe they will take over part of the Homebase site.

 

I went to The Range a week or so ago and there were trollies of plants with Homebase labels on.

 

Our Homebase closed as part of this, reopened as The Range a couple of weeks ago. I went to see what they stock, for future reference, and it was overwhelmingly tat. They have rebranded the plant/garden area as 'Homebase Gardening at The Range' (or something along those lines). It looked similar but reduced with a bit more tat.
I had more or less stopped going to Homebase a few years ago anyway as they moved more towards homewares and away from DIY. Then I returned when it became Bunnings which was brilliant - genuinely good range of tools, equipment, really well organised etc. It's true that they had an excessive amount of BBQ equipment, but the rest was excellent! When they reverted to Homebase I was really sad, but they kept some of the better aspects of Bunnings for some time. I was very disappointed in The Range and doubt I'll return.
One good thing was that Bunnings kept most (possibly all) of the Homebase staff. They stayed when it went back to Homebase and I've heard they're still there now it's The Range.