A third Bunnings Warehouse store has opened in the UK and Ireland following the Australian firm’s takeover of Homebase.
The new store, on the site of the former Homebase at Apsley Mills Retail Park, Hemel Hempstead, continues the rollout of the Bunnings Warehouse format in the UK’s £38billion-a-year home improvement and garden market.
The Hemel Hempstead store is more than 64,000 square feet and employs 111 people – including 53 in newly created full and part-time roles.
It also stocks more than 27,000 different home improvement and garden lines, including paint mixing services from Johnstone’s Trade, Crown and Dulux and a new tool shop offering world-leading brands such as Ryobi and DeWalt.
The company, part of Australia’s Wesfarmers Group, plans to invest up to £500million rolling out Bunnings Warehouse stores across the UK and Ireland over the next three to five years.
To celebrate the opening on June 9, Olympic gymnast champion and Hemel local Max Whitlock MBE hosted a welcome breakfast for team members.
Max said: “It’s great that Bunnings has chosen Hemel Hempstead as the location for its third store in the UK. Hemel is where it all began for me so I’m delighted to be back opening the store. I’m sure it will be a huge success.”
In February 2016 Bunnings acquired Homebase, the second largest home improvement and garden retailer in the UK and Ireland. Bunnings Warehouse opened its first two stores in St Albans in February and April 2017, with additional stores confirmed in Milton Keynes and Folkestone.
