B&Q will soon takeover five Homebase stores across the UK in a £2,500,000 deal.
It was announced in November last year that Homebase had collapsed into administration.
But CDS Superstores, the parent company of The Range and Wilko, were able to salvage 70 of the popular retailer’s stores.
Now, five locations of Homebase will be turned into the UK’s largest home improvement shops by the end of 2025.
Luckily for staff working on the sites currently, they’ll be able to stay on as B&Q employees after the shops change hands.
The shops affected are Altrincham, Greater Manchester; Basingstoke, Hampshire;Biggleswade, Bedfordshire; Leamington Spa, Warwickshire; and Worcester, Worcestershire.
Some of the other Homebase locations which had been earmarked for closure are being transformed into The Range Superstores, with revamped branches set to open in Pollokshaws, Glasgow; Christchurch, Bournemouth; and Birmingham on January 17, 2025.
That initial rollout will be proceeded by the launch of up to 10 new stores every single month next year in a move which they hope will revitalise Homebase.
Chief Executive of CDS, Alex Simpkin, outlined his intentions to preserve the best aspects of Homebase in the company’s new format.
He said: ‘While those Homebase stores acquired by CDS will continue to trade as they are during the transition period, we’re focused on ensuring a seamless transfer of these locations into our new store format.’
The Homebase brand will continue to trade online under its new ownership.
After the company’s announcement of its collapse into administration in November, they confirmed that six of their sites – in Sutton Coldfield, Bromsgrove, Cromer, Fareham, Newark and Rugby, would close before the year ends.
Further stores in Derry, Inveruri, Omagh and Glenrothes will also all close in the coming months.
Hilco Capital, Homebase’s owner, put the retailer up for sale in July just a few months before they entered administration.
At that point, there were 141 Homebases nationwide. A figure which includes 10 stores purchased by Sainsbury’s.
Once all of those stores are closed, Sainsbury’s plans to convert the units into new supermarkets.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
