Sales Hotting Up At Homebase As Spring Makes Late Bloom

• The helpful home and garden experts record biggest sales week since Easter 2022
• Over four million plants sold - up 20 per cent from last year
• Over 22,000 barbecues sold
• 30% increase in indoor and outdoor paint, as the nation gets ready for summer entertaining
• Over half a million people through the door as the sun finally makes its appearance in time for the Bank Holiday weekend 

Spring may have started late, but it will be a sunny summer season for the homes and gardens sector, says Homebase, after sales boom following the recent run of great weather. 

Off the back of a glorious Bank Holiday weekend, Homebase has seen a continuing increase in sales: 

• Over 4 million plants sold - up 20% from this time last year
• Exterior paint sales up over 15% with Silver Copse and Dark Oak taking the top spots
• Customers are getting the inside of their homes ready as well, with interior paint sales up by 10% as greys and neutrals continue to be the most popular colours
• Over 22,000 barbecues sold over the Bank Holiday weekend alone, with 60% of customers choosing charcoal over gas 
• Spring cleaning is in full swing, with sales in storage increasing over 12% as customers tidy up their homes.  

It’s been a challenging year for the sector. The wettest March for 40 years has kept Brits indoors and, combined with factors including the ongoing cost of living crisis, has brought about a late start to the peak spring trading season. However, as the weather has turned, so has attention to sprucing up our outdoor spaces and Homebase predicts strong growth this summer. 

Damian McGloughlin, Homebase CEO, says: “After a tough winter and a slow start to spring, we’re now seeing strong performance and we’re confident the market is headed in the right direction.

“We know customers are still spending cautiously, but the promising uplift we’ve seen in sales gives us real confidence as we go into the peak summer months. Right across Homebase our team members and suppliers are working really hard to deliver the freshest plants, the best availability and brilliant deals for customers.” 

As well as the boost to sales of garden products, Homebase has also seen positive results across its kitchens and bathrooms business, with sales up over 6% on the year, performing well ahead of the market and rapidly gaining market share[1]. Last week it recorded its biggest ever transaction of over £75,000. 

The strong performance follows another year of investment and continued transformation for Homebase, having just completed the rollout of a brand new till system across all its stores. Team members and customers are benefiting from the faster and easier checkouts, leaving the team with more time to help customers and drive sales. 

This transformation also extends to stock management, with a new, state of the art forecast and replenishment system currently being rolled out. This multi-million-pound investment helps make sure Homebase has the right products at the right time, delivering strong improvements on availability. 

To further improve availability and make shopping at Homebase even easier, stores have also reset over 55,000 metres of shelving across its stores, making sure customers can find exactly what they’re looking for. 

Homebase this week filed its FY21 accounts reporting an EBITDA of £63.3m compared to £80.3m in 2020.

[1] GfK

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