Homebase announces closure of Dover store

Bunnings Homebase has officially announced the closure of its Dover store, which is likely to lead to job losses.

The store, located in Honeywood Parkway, Whitfield, near Dover, will close on Saturday 7th October - and interestingly, there are no plans for a Bunnings Warehouse to replace it.

Last month Bunnings opened its first Warehouse in Kent on Park Farm Road, Folkestone.

Read - Latest Bunnings Warehouse opens in Folkestone

Read - Bunnings reveals locations of ninth and tenth Warehouse stores

Click here to see a map showing the locations of the UK's ten Bunnings Warehouse stores.

Bunnings is in the process of phasing out the Homebase brand across the UK and following a recent decline in performance across the Homebase estate, Insight DIY believes the business is currently looking to close a number of UK stores.

A Homebase spokesman said: "We can confirm that our store on Dover Business Park in Whitfield is set to close on Saturday, October 7. Team members at the store have been informed and we are working to support them as much as possible."

A closing down sale is already being advertised in-store and it has not yet been confirmed whether the staff will be offered new positions at the other Kent stores.

Fiona Cincotta, a senior market analyst at https://www.cityindex.co.uk/  commented "Westfarmers is gradually repositioning and replacing Homebase stores with Bunnings warehouses, which is all part of the firm’s strategy to turn to turn a profit from the struggling DIY stores. In its first year under Australian ownership Homebase has lost £54 million. Whilst it is still early days and the whole revolution of Bunnings / Homebase is expected to take in the region of three years, top management will still be nervous at such large losses in year one.  In business heavy losses are usually followed by cost cutting exercises and this is what we are seeing in Dover; management will be have been looking closely as to where costs can be cut and where stores can be closed".

Source: Insight DIY Team

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