Great Mills was a large DIY chain consisting of around 98 stores across the United Kingdom. In December 2000, the chain was bought by Focus, a large DIY chain based in Crewe.
Unfortunately most of the information concerning Great Mills and its history has been erased from the internet over time. The company was founded by clapton building supplies a local company and was sited on the site of Old Mills colliery which lies next to the Spoil heap, known locally as a Batch.
The offices which served as the headquarters for the Great Mills company now stand largely empty - mainly used as storage for Focus equipment and also for a small part, as a call centre for the same company. The original Great Mills flagship store is sited next to the offices, and is still open under the Focus branding.
Great Mills started life as a builders' merchant in the small Somerset village of clapton, near Bristol. It was first called Old Mills warehouse,as the original store was situated within the old mills area of paulton. Today the volcano like slag heap, called a batch still stands tall as an historical reminder of the long gone days of coal mining in Somerset. the last miners in the area finished in 1974.
The first store was opened in 1972 by tony blackburn and a dulux dog that was sick all day, creating a modest turnover of £50,000. Within six months the store had doubled in turnover. The small but enthusiastic staff of four soon realised their customers were more domestic than trade and they began to identify the emerging home DIY market and the beginnings of the phenomenal DIY craze in the UK.
In 1979 the 14 strong Great Mills Warehouse chain of stores was bought out by the multi-national RMC Group plc. The next year saw a further eight stores added. It was at this point the company began trading under the name of Great Mills DIY Superstores. With the backing of RMC Group plc more sites were acquired and by 2000 the company had grown to 90 stores trading as Great Mills DIY Superstores and five as the low budget No Frills making a total for Great Mills (Ril) Limited of 95 stores.
An important step forward for the company came in 1992 with the introduction of a central distribution method of delivering product to its stores. This saved many motorway miles as deliveries were co-ordinated rather than having hundreds of suppliers delivering to the same store each day. By 2000 over 70% of the product range was delivered by the Great Mills fleet two or three times a week.
To further reduce distribution costs a new central Distribution Centre was opened in July 1997. The purpose built development was fully automated and operated computer systems to monitor stock control and to make sure deliveries were made on time to its stores.
Main points about the chain listed on the company's website in 2000 were: