Quarter of Homebases to close

[charles]

Texas was bought by Homesbase. Slight difference. The nearest Focus to here is now an Asda.

[rick]

Have to admit ... I never think of going to Homebase for anything, wife occasionally buys some plants.

[Ian Jackson]

I remember the 'Texas Tom' advert on LBC Radio.

The present High Wycombe Staples was Focus.

High Wycombe has two Homebases - the ex-Texas one at Loudwater, at the eastern extremity (one-and-a-half floors), and another (ground floor only, but I'm sure, more floor area) a mile-and-a-half away, further into town. Halfway between the two, there is a pretty large B&Q and a Wickes - both of which are usually distinctly cheaper than Homebase. Neither Homebase can be described as overly busy - in fact the Loudwater one is usually pretty quiet. I reckon it will be one of those that will go.

[Mike Tomlinson]

En el artículo , Theo Markettos escribió:

translation: they're up to their eyeballs in debt and sales aren't covering the rent on their big expensive stores or the debt repayments.

[Andy Burns]

There's even have an unofficial website ...

[Ian Jackson]

Unfortunately, there's only the home page. The rest is 'Not Found'. No link to LBC Radio's advert.

>

[polygonum]

When Focus closed, the premises it was in became Matalan.

I *thought* that those premises were Payless before Focus took them over. Did Focus have another shop in HW?

[The Medway Handyman]

Clearly, I am talking about the 30-somethings I meet, I haven't carried out a nationwide survey. Have you?

The comments are usually "I'm hopeless at DIY" or "my partner is hopeless at DIY".

That isn't me. I'm not cheap and I don't flop flyers through letter boxes. I am hassle free.

[Ian Jackson]

I'm pretty sure they didn't. However, there was a Jewsons (IIRC, just off the West Wycombe road). It's now shown on the Cressex estate.

[polygonum]

Jessops until very recently were just off Hughenden Road - with another branch at Cressex. The old Hughenden one now knocked down.

[Chris French]

The Focus in Huntingdon became a B&Q.

A Wickes also opened in the town last year (with a Toolstation), opposite Screwfix. Homebase is up the road (all similarly moderately sized shops), next to Argos, and a bit further up the road a Dunelm Mills.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Homebase go.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

The demasculisation of the young urban male.

[Brian Gaff]

Homebase seems never to have had as much success as the b/Q brand. I suspect bad choices have been made in the past, and now they want to get some money and use it for something else. Brian

[Nightjar]

That is probably because they naively try to follow the instructions.

[Adrian]

Exactly - the ones who are paying for DIYable jobs to be done.

[damduck-egg]

A lot of DIY involves teaching yourself and learning by mistakes, many people have to work longer hours or have a lot of their day taken up traveling to work than in the past so don't get the opportunity to learn on the job while younger . By the time the children come along , often later than in the past it is much easier if you have the income to just call someone like yourself in who will have suitable tools,a knowledge of who stocks a washer that may do a pingfuckit and whose tube of gripfill hasn't gone solid in the months since you last used it . A lot of time can be lost out of some bodies 48 hour leave between Friday and Monday just getting stuff.

Good value rather than cheap then, and it's all relative . A few hours of your time may not be much more than taking the family out for the day. How do your rates compare say to spending to 90 minutes or so attending a premier league football match.?

G.Harman

[Huge]

Our Focus became a car park. It was a significant improvement.

[Huge]

Mourning becomes Electra.

[Roland Perry]

In message , at 20:56:41 on Wed, 22 Oct 2014, GMM remarked:

My closest retail shed is a Homebase, and I've used them for things which are neither quite home furnishings nor DIY - stuff like doormats, shelving units, and kitchen worktops; although sometimes they are useful for paint that's a bit more exotic than they stock at Wilko.

A couple of months ago I noticed they'd refurbished it and added an Argos collection point "coming soon" and a coffee bar. We must be nearing a coffee bar event horizon soon.

My most recent visit to a different, and much bigger, Homebase was frustrated because (a) Their paint mixing machine was broken and (b) they don't do solvent-based Satinwood any more [so I had to break down and buy from a Trade outlet].

[Dave Liquorice]

Roughly a family of four to an EPL match with pie and drink would get TMH for a whole 8 hour day maybe a bit longer...