Focus (DIY)
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| Focus DIY (For DIY and Gardening) | |
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| Type | Retail, DIY |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Headquarters | Crewe, England |
| Industry | Retail, DIY |
| Products | Decorating, tools, building materials, kitchen and bathrooms, lighting and electrical. Gardening, outdoor and indoor plants. |
| Parent | Cerberus Capital |
| Website | http://www.focusdiy.co.uk |
Focus DIY is a privately owned chain of DIY stores in the UK. It serves the light DIY market sector, and most stores have some form of garden centre. Its main competitors are B&Q and Homebase. It is the third largest DIY retailer in the UK and in 2003 had a turnover of £1.6bn. The company has 176 stores in the UK as of October 2007.
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[edit] History
The company was founded in 1987 by Bill Archer and a former business partner and has since increased its market share with a mix of both acquisitions and organic growth.
Focus bought the Do It All DIY chain from Boots in 1998. Both chains were rebranded as "Focus Do It All". In 1999 following the takeover of Wickes, a DIY chain focused on building supplies, the group became known as Focus Wickes, although the two distinct retail formats and identities were retained.
Focus later purchased the Great Mills chain from RMC in 2000. These stores were re-branded as Focus, except for some that became Wickes. Some Focus stores felt to be outside the company target areas were also converted to the Wickes format. A later move eventually saw all stores rebranded as "Focus for DIY and Gardening" although the official company name is Focus (DIY) Limited. Following these acquisitions Focus was the number two DIY retailer in the UK with over 400 stores split between the Focus and Wickes chains.
During the early part of the 21st century, some former Great Mills and Do It All stores were refitted. The Carlisle (Closing) store, for instance, has a large "Do It All" sign behind the checkouts, while the Cramlington , Netherfield and Paisley (Closing) stores still have overhead signs above the aisles,the Aberdare store still has Focus do it all signs and products in stock, in Great Mills corporate colours of dark purple, orange, and white.[citation needed]
The Wickes business and stores were sold to Travis Perkins in 2005.
[edit] The new Focus
As of July 26, 2007 Bill Grimsey was appointed as CEO of the FOCUS Group as the purchase of the business by Cerberus Capital was approved by the EU Competition Commission.
As a result, 52 under-performing stores (tactical) will be managed and traded by Hilco. These stores will be gradually sold or closed by Q1 2008. To date, Focus has sold 41 of its stores (to Homebase, Wickes, Tesco and J Sainsbury), 13 of which were in the original 52 earmarked for closure. The 39 left of the 52 will still be closed as planned. The remaining 176 Stores will make up the New Focus.
[edit] Store closures
October 2007 saw the announcement that 41 Focus DIY stores were to be sold to a mixture of Homebase, Tesco, Wickes and Sainsbury's.
The following stores are being transferred to Homebase:
Warwick, Kidderminster, Keighley, Stafford, Bedford, Cardiff, Swindon, Towcester, Oswestry, Bodmin, Woking, Blackpool, Nottingham, Liskeard, St Albans, Castleford, Willerby, Macclesfield, Formby, Mannings Heath (Poole, Dorset), Redruth, Weston-super-Mare, Evesham, Yeovil, Horwich, Tamworth & Stockport.
Wickes:
Glossop, Mansfield, Penrith, Bulwell, Plumstead, Dumfries & Hereford.
Tesco & Sainsburys:
Flint, Shipley, Nottingham, Bromley, Stamford & Crowborough.
Part of the company under the banner name "No Frills" is also going. This is due to company change. Closure is the most possible answer for this part of the company, but stores are up for offers.
The Grimsby store is to close as seen by the "Store Closing" signs, but no final date has been given to the staff as of yet. This is similar to the situation at Macclesfield, where similar signs were erected, then, good news was to come, as Homebase was announced at the new operator at the site, with it securing jobs of those contracted to Focus.
[edit] Supply chain
Focus has 2 main distribution centres, 1 in Tamworth and 1 in Severnside.
The Tamworth DC was originally set up for Do It All, and thus came with the Do It All business in 1998. Severnside was set up for Great Mills. In 2002, supply chain was altered, so that Tamowrth DC served Northern stores, Severnside serving southern stores. This was regardless of whether the store was a former Focus do it all store, or a former Great Mills store.
[edit] Working at Focus
Focus employees receive 20% discount on all products after 2 months service with the company. In some stores, the discount can be given after 3 months service. Standard pay is just above minimum wage but this increases with completion of instore training. There are 3 levels of in-store training, Bronze, Silver and Gold. The level depends on how many "workbooks" one completes, all done within company time, and after the completion of Gold training, employees can choose to begin their Management training.
