A BRIEF HISTORY OF HOMEBASE
Don't worry, we won't keep you too long!
1970s
In 1979, Homebase was created by Sainsbury's and GB-inno-BM.
1980s
Our Croydon branch was the first to welcome customers, and we were busy throughout the 80s opening even more stores nationwide.
1990s
The 90s were an exciting time as Sainsbury's bought Texas Homecare and rebranded these stores as Homebase.
2000s
Things were looking bigger and better as we were sold to Shroder Ventures and then again to GUS. From here, we became part of Home Retail Group and started offering fantastic concessions. Our new Homebase Design Centres caused huge excitement by helping our customers become dab hands at design!
Towards the end of the decade, we were sold to Westfarmers and some stores were rebranded as Bunnings Warehouse. As if it hadn't been a busy enough few years, we were then purchased by Hilco Capital where we entered a CVA agreement and restructured. Our turnaround accelerated with over 50 stores upgraded and we returned to profit earlier than expected!
Where we are today
In 2024, the Homebase brand and up to 70 of our UK stores were bought by CDS Superstores – owner of The Range and wilko. The new and improved Homebase website (this one!) was launched in January 2025, and we began reopening previous Homebase units as The Range.
These new stores all feature Homebase Kitchens and the enduringly popular Garden Centre by Homebase, where customers can continue to benefit from our incredible collection of plants and tools, as well as the years of expertise that comes with it.
We’re looking forward to the next chapter in our 45+ year history!