Homebase in Sprowston will close in new year – to reopen under new brand
The Bunnings Warehouse in Basildon. Homebase in Sprowston is being re-branded to the Australian DIY chain. Picture: Bunnings Warehouse - Credit: Bunnings Warehouse
A home improvement supplies store in Norwich is getting a makeover of its own in the new year.
Homebase in Sprowston will be one of the company's first stores to be re-branded to Australian DIY chain Bunnings Warehouse, as part of a pilot scheme by its owners.
The shop in Roundtree Way will close on January 22 for refurbishment and will reopen later in the year.
A Homebase spokesman said: 'The new home improvement and garden store continues the momentum of establishing the Bunnings Warehouse format in the UK and Ireland.'
Homebase was taken over by Australian retail group Wesfarmers, which also owns Bunnings, in 2016 in a £340m deal.
A pilot scheme is under way to re-brand Homebase stores to Bunnings Warehouse, the first of which was opened in St Albans in February 2017.
To date 15 former Homebase outlets have been re-branded and opened, with another in Newmarket set to open in the coming weeks.
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If the pilot is successful the company plans to invest £500m over the next five years in re-branding all Homebase stores.
Retail pundits have speculated that the transformation could help the chain reconcile its split personality between home furnishings and DIY supplies.