The chairman of the Australian owners of Homebase is flying to the UK for a whistlestop tour of its stores this week as the future of the struggling DIY chain hangs in the balance.
The Wesfarmers chairman, Michael Chaney, is being accompanied on store visits by Archie Norman, the retail turnaround expert who chairs Marks & Spencer and advises the Australian group.
In February, Wesfarmers said it was considering quitting the UK after losses spiralled at Homebase which has more than 200 stores and 12,000 staff. Customers had dwindled after the new owners stripped out home furnishings ranges and turned some stores into outposts of Bunnings, its successful DIY brand in Australia.
Perth-based Wesfarmers bought Homebase for £340m two ye…
Read the full article at: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/apr/08/homebases-australian-boss-flies-in-to-tour-troubled-diy-chain