About us

Welcome to Homebase, part of Home Retail Group. Home Retail Group was demerged from its parent company, GUS plc, on Tuesday 10 October 2006. More information on Home Retail Group can be found on its corporate website, www.homeretailgroup.com, including sections on investor relations, media centre, corporate responsibility and careers. Here you can read a brief introduction to Homebase, understand our corporate responsibility policies and learn a little about our charitable partner.

About Homebase

Homebase is the UK's second largest home improvement retailer and is recognised for choice, style and customer service across the wider home enhancement market. It has more than 300 large, out-of-town stores throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland, and is planning to add to its store chain with around 15 new stores a year. It sells over 30,000 products across DIY and decorating, home and garden ranges, and has a growing internet offering. Homebase serves over 70 million customers per year through its stores and offers customers the convenience of home delivery for bulky, high-value items. Its Ideas magazine is the number one home interest magazine in the UK, with a circulation of almost half a million. In 2006 Homebase won 'Britain's Best Superstore Manager of the Year' at Britain's Best Retailer Awards and in 2005 it was awarded DIY Retailer of the Year in the National Home Awards. Homebase was the first UK DIY retailer to achieve Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody certification. More information on Homebase can be found on www.homeretailgroup.com.

See a full list of Homebase stores.

About Argos

As part of the Home Retail Group, our sister company Argos will spoil you for choice with a fantastic range of over 20,000 great value products across 13 categories, including furniture, home appliances, televisions, toys and much more.

Corporate responsibility

As Homebase is part of Home Retail Group plc, detailed information on the company's corporate responsibility policy can be found on www.homeretailgroup.com. The site includes information on environmental issues, such as energy and waste management, our timber sourcing policy, chemical strategy, ethical trading conditions in our supply chain and community activities. Here are just some of the practical ways in which we try to be socially, ethically and environmentally responsible:

Easier shopping for customers with disabilities

We're committed to making our stores and services accessible to everyone. If you need any help shopping with us, please give us a call on 0845 077 8888 or ask in store and we'll do everything we can to make things easier. Information on access to facilities at all our stores is available on www.directenquiries.com.*

Homebase and recycling

Disposal of electrical waste products

As part of our kitchen installation service, Homebase will collect and recycle your old large kitchen appliance (excluding fridges and freezers) as part of the complete installation project. You can take all your other waste electrical goods for recycling to your local council site (and avoid damaging the environment and the potential harmful effects on health).

Look out for the crossed out wheelie bin symbol on electrical goods. The symbol means that you should not put this item in your normal household waste bin.

Not all council sites are suitable to collect all types of waste electrical goods, but to find out your nearest participating site, please visit www.recycle-more.co.uk.*

Batteries

Waste batteries can be returned to our stores free of charge, using the small waste battery bins in store. Batteries should never be put in general household waste or recycling bins - look out for the crossed out wheelie bin symbol on the packaging or the battery itself.

Waste packaging

Most waste packaging can be recycled. www.recyclenow.com* has got lots of tips on what to do with waste packaging. Cardboard boxes are easy to squash flat and recycle!

Carrier bags

We are very happy to provide a plastic carrier bag if you need one. Please reuse our carrier bags as often as possible and when you've finished with them, look out for a local recycling scheme or dispose of them safely so that they don't cause a litter problem.

Furniture

If you have an item of furniture that you no longer need following your purchase from Homebase, there is a charity near you that can put it to good use ; Local charities take unwanted furniture and make it available for people on low incomes ; A national helpline is run by the Furniture Re-use Network or you can look for groups on the internet. Helpline number: 0845 602 8003 Website: www.frn.org.uk.*

Paint

Unfortunately it is virtually impossible to purchase the exact amount of paint required to complete a project, which means the customer is usually faced with the problem of how to dispose of the excess. To try to help our customers purchase a suitable quantity, all of our own brand paints carry coverage guides and the products are also available in different size packs. Some of the ingredients used in the formulation of paint could be harmful to the environment if they are not disposed of correctly. The following guidelines may be helpful:

• Remove as much product as possible from the brushes, roller or paint pad before cleaning.
• Do not empty waste paint into drains, watercourses or access routes to septic tanks.
• Store products correctly - replace lids firmly and store in a dry place away from extreme temperatures to prolong their shelf life.
• Donate leftover paint to friends, self-help or community groups.
• Take leftover paint to the local household waste disposal site. For further advice on disposal, contact the recycling officer at your local council.

Homebase in the community

Homebase is proud to be supporting the British Heart Foundation from July 2008 to July 2010 as part of the ‘Keeping hearts beating' campaign. They were chosen by an overwhelming majority of employees by staff vote from a short list of charities.

The British Heart Foundation is the nation's heart charity, dedicated to saving lives every day through pioneering research, caring for patients and families, campaigning for change and providing vital information to help people care for their own heart health. The vision of the British Heart Foundation is of a world in which people do not die prematurely of heart disease.

Homebase colleagues and customers are raising money to fund vital defibrillators in the community that can help save lives. Please help support them by looking out for fundraising opportunities in-store.

For more information about the British Heart Foundation please visit www.bhf.org.uk.*

* Homebase is not responsible for the content of external websites.