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Will Homebase live or die

Hampshire HogHampshire Hog HampshirePosts: 330
in The potting shed
As yet again a equity firm buyout for £1 strip all the assets and run.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-45360353
"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."
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  • StevedaylillyStevedaylilly Posts: 1,087
    Tbh, I rarely shop in Homebase for plants unless hey have some deals. Like most of these diy/ garden centres their locations can effect trade plus completion with companies such as BQ. Although, Homebase customer services are 100% better but then BQ are just run badly imo 
  • KT53KT53 GloucestershirePosts: 7,520
    On a purely selfish level I hope they survive.  They are only about a mile from where I live whereas B&Q is on the other side of town.  It also takes far longer to get served in B&Q.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 33,264
    "Back in the day " shops/companies were owned by folk who had a passion for the stuff they sold, be it clothes, food, gardening stuff or whatever. Nowadays they all seem to be owned by " equity " companies .
    IMHO the "passion" has gone. All they care about is "the bottom line"
    Devon.
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,281
    I'm the other way round.  My B&Q is more conveniently placed and actually seems to have someone who cares about the plants, as they are much better looked after than the ones at Homebase! The 'dead shelf' there has good bargains sometimes though :)
  • B3B3 South East LondonPosts: 24,010
    Does B&Q actually have any staff? I've never seen any apart from one person personning the checkout.
    They even expect you to use one of those unexpecteditemibthebaggingarea things.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • AnniDAnniD South West UKPosts: 10,991
    Our Homebase is about a mile down the road. I've never known it to be really busy, even before the takeover. It stayed as a Homebase, but gradually started looking more like a car boot sale, boxes of stuff all over the place, blocking the aisles, no prices on the shelves, etc. It got more and more unloved until a few month's back when it was tided up and started to get it's mojo back. It's not on the list for closure, and l see there are plans to get things like Laura Ashley back in store. I hope it survives, if only for the sake of the staff.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 33,264
    AnniD said:
     l see there are plans to get things like Laura Ashley back in store. I hope it survives, if only for the sake of the staff.
    I thought LA went bust about 30 years ago.
    Devon.
  • AnniDAnniD South West UKPosts: 10,991
    No they're still going @Hostafan1, we have a store that sells their wallpaper etc. a few miles away . Seems to be doing ok. Bought some wallpaper there when l couldn't find anything l liked in Homebase!
    PS is it just me, or has anyone else lost the  edit button on their posts?
  • B3B3 South East LondonPosts: 24,010
    edited September 2018
    There's a little flower icon top right. You'll find it there.
    There's a couple of LAs in towns near us. I look at their sale clothes but never venture upstairs to the home section which I'm sure is lovely, but I'm too lazy.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • PurplerainPurplerain Posts: 1,053
    A while ago I left my trolly at a [email protected] checkout, because I had to put it through myself. I will not use machines that take jobs away from people.

    Homebase, has always been a terribly expensive ghostly store and one I never think of going into. Aldi and Home Bargains are on the same retail park in my area and offer better deals.

    I have never thought of Homebase as being a gardening store, so its demise makes no difference to me. Ours is closing, but Screwfix have opened across the road. They are all looking for customers who have become wiser to commercialism and the days of institutions and loyalty seem to be long gone.
    SW Scotland
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