UK DIY News
Bunnings to double size of 2017 pilot store programme
Bunnings UK & Ireland today announced that it is to expand its pilot programme and will have 20 stores up and running by the end of 2017 - twice the number it previously confirmed.
One of these new stores will be a completely new store build, but the location is yet to be revealed.
The announcement coincides with the opening of the fourth Bunnings Warehouse in Milton Keynes, the largest in the UK & Ireland to date. The store, on the site of the former Homebase in Snowdown Drive, occupies over 90,000 sq ft and employs 140 team members - including 88 in newly created full and part time roles.
Bunnings continues to invest in the team and has provided more than 1,500 hours of training.
The increase in the number of Bunnings Warehouse pilot stores is a major step in developing the format in the UK's £38Bn home improvement and garden market.
It follows a positive response from customers to the first pilot stores in St Albans and Hemel Hempstead. To date, the new stores have created more than 220 new jobs, with more than 1,000 roles anticipated by the year end.
Bunnings also recently announced two new additions to the UK and Ireland senior leadership team, Damian McGloughlin, Chief Operating Officer and David Haydon, General Manager, who bring with them 55 years industry experience. These new hires reflect Bunnings commitment to strong, sustainable leadership and long-term growth with the UK Home Improvement Market.
Managing Director Peter Davis said 'Our decision to extend the pilot programme reflects the positive reaction we've seen from customers to the stores we've opened so far. "Increasing the number of pilot stores to 20 will give us the opportunity to test the concept in new geographies, with different demographics, across a range of store sizes. We are determined to combine the best of Bunnings Warehouse with what UK consumers want. The success of the pilots still remain a precursor to additional investment".
The next store to open after Milton Keynes will be un Folkestone, Kent in July. Following that the Homebase stores in Thanet (Broadstairs), Sittingbourne, Kent and Basildon Vange, Essex will be the next to be redeveloped.
Source: Insight DIY Team & Bunnings UK&I press release.
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