Great Mills (DIY)

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Great Mills logo

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 which has since gone bust itself in 2011. Most of the Focus stores have been bought but some, for example Rogerstone and the very first Great Mills store in Paulton, have been left empty.


History

Great Mills storefront

Unfortunately most of the information concerning Great Mills and its history has been erased from the internet over time. Originally known as Clapton Building Supplies, the store was founded in 1972 by Tony Blackburn, a staff of four and a Dulux dog that was sick all day. The store managed a modest turnover of £50,000, but within six months the turnover had doubled. 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. The company began to expand, opening stores in Poole, Trowbridge and Exeter, and renamed itself "Old Mills" after its original location, where the Old Mills colliery used to be.

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.

In the early 1990s GreatMills launched Bay6 (Basics), These stores were identical in size, look and layout to Wickes. In 1995 Wickes bought the 6 Bay6 stores from Great Mills'parent company, RMC. (Four were already trading, two were under construction.) 

An important step forward for the company came in 1992 with the introduction of a central distribution method of delivering products 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.

In December 2000, Focus, a rival DIY chain, bought out Great Mills. The stores were all externally rebranded, though some kept parts of the interior Great Mills branding. In mid-2011, Focus DIY entered administration. Some of the Focus branded Great Mills stores were sold, others were left empty. The original flagship Great Mills store in Paulton still stands - though it was not sold so stands empty and disused. Offices opposite the original store served as the headquarters for the Great Mills company, but stood largely empty after the Focus acquisition - mainly used as storage for Focus equipment and also for a small part, as a call centre for the same company. The building is now part of the Somer Valley Enterprise Park.

Main points about the chain listed on the company's website in 2000 were:

  • First store opened in 1972
  • Celebrated 25th Anniversary in 1997
  • 3,500 employees
  • 3.3 million square foot of selling space
  • Over £300 million turnover
  • Expanding market share
  • 90 stores nationwide
  • Over 20,000 products in range
  • Centralised Distribution Centre
  • Investors In People Award
  • Committed to company wide Environmental Strategy
  • Extensive NVQ (National Vocational Qualifications) training programme"
  • Sponsored a football league in the South West known as The Great Mills League

Sources

Focus DIY and Gardening

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