In This Issue
Wyevale Garden Centres agrees sale of five more garden centres
Bord Na Móna launches its ‘Growing Media Academy’ at Glee 2018
Block Blitz to launch new larger pack at Glee 2018
Blue Diamond start recruiting 8 chefs for new centres
Market leading timber retail plant staging solutions from M&M Timber
Gloves come off as Aberdeen garden centre and boxer go head-to-head for former school site
Gardman move away from the pallet network and return to dedicated fleet via Robsons of Spalding
No more extremes, please!
Glee confirm new 2019 opening days
Gardenex gives valuable advice to UK companies on developing their Brexit strategy
Wyevale Garden Centres partners up with The Royal British Legion for ‘Thank you’ Campaign
Get ready for Greenfingers Charity’s 20th anniversary at this year’s Glee
Wyevale Nurseries Taster Menu hailed a success
£2.5m Mill-inspired Garden Centre Restaurant Opens
Celebration raises £20,000 for children
Late summer colour sparks plant sales increases
Christmas opens at Summerhill Garden Centre in Essex
Bank Holiday Blues for GTN Xtra
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
Honorary Degree for Peter Seabrook
Tom Sharples retires from Suttons
Will Glee shine a light on Garden Product sales growth?
HTA strengthens its grower representation at Board level
Carry on growing your own
Buddleja davidii 'SMNBDBT' (ROCKETSTAR INDIGO) Best novelty Plantarium 2018
Growing Media sales pick up as winter veg gets planted out
New director joins Vitax board
Who is stealing Wild Bird Care sales?
Press Award Plantarium 2018 for Triple Beauty and Ficinia Ice Crystal
The best of last week's
Blue Diamond now 3rd largest Garden Centre Group in the UK
42 more Homebase closures named as former owners lick their wounds
Lancs grower is latest victim or rural crime
Hilliers set out to make a family's dream come true
43% of gardeners use weedkillers, survey suggests
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Buy your subscription to GTN Bestsellers
Plastic carrier bag tax to double and extend to all garden retailers
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42 more Homebase closures named as former owners lick their wounds

Hilco Capital, the new owners of Homebase, who bought the DIY chain for £1 from Australian conglomerate Wesfarmers in May, have named 42 planned store closures.

 

Meanwhile, results posted by Wesfarmers for 2017/18, underline the disastrous impact that buying Homebase for £375m two years ago has had on the company’s finances before they pulled the plug on the Bunnings UK and Ireland venture.

 

Wesfarmers posted a 58% drop in net profits to $1.2bn, after more than $1.3bn in losses and costs.

 

Wesfarmers said the Homebase purchase cost $1.02bn in impairments, write-offs and store closure provisions. The group spent $156m on Bunnings UK in 2017 and $141m in 2018.

 

Hilco have said they plan to re-store the Homebase brand to the 24 stores converted to Bunnings by this autumn. In the last 12 months, 17 branches have been closed which combined with the latest announcement, brings the total to 59 - near to the 60 that has been suggested in recent weeks.

 

The closures are believed to affect a further 1,500 jobs at Homebase after the massive reductions in head office staff.

 

Reports are now starting to emerge that Amazon Logistics may be interested in some of the Homebase sites as there is a shortage of UK warehousing space with large locations at a premium. As the sites are close to urban areas they could be a perfect fit for the Amazon Prime service.

 

The 42 store closures announced by Hilco are:

  • Aberdeen Bridge of Don
  • Aberdeen Portlethen
  • Aylesbury
  • Bedford St Johns
  • Bradford
  • Brentford
  • Bristol
  • Canterbury
  • Cardiff Newport Road
  • Croydon Purley Way
  • Droitwich
  • Dublin Fonthill
  • Dublin Naas Road
  • Dundee
  • East Kilbride
  • Exeter
  • Gateshead
  • Grantham
  • Greenock
  • Hawick
  • Inverness
  • Ipswich
  • Limerick
  • London Merton
  • London New Southgate
  • London Wimbledon
  • Macclesfield
  • Oxford Botley Road
  • Peterborough
  • Pollokshaws
  • Poole Tower Park
  • Robroyston
  • Salisbury
  • Seven Kings
  • Solihull
  • Southampton Hedge End
  • Southend
  • Stirling
  • Swindon Drakes Way
  • Swindon Orbital
  • Warrington
  • Whitby
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