Homebase corporate news 2007
Homebase Belfast store reopens after 2006 bombing
25 July 2007
*********PHOTO CALL*********
Date: Friday 27 July, 2007
Time: 9am
Place: Homebase, Shane Park, 105 Boucher Road, Belfast BT12 6RH
*********PHOTO CALL*********
Celebrations will be taking place on Friday 27 July at the Homebase store in Shane Park, Belfast, as the store reopens just nine months after it was destroyed following an incendiary attack.
Guest of honour, the Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Bernie Kelly, will be reopening the store, along with children from the Fleming Fulton school in Belfast, Homebase retail operations director, Ian Jones, and Shane Park store manager, Alan Kennedy.
The store, which originally opened on 21 November 2003 and was then destroyed on 1 November 2006, has been rebuilt in just nine months. The only structure deemed safe to remain was the garden centre wall; everything else has been built as new – with an entire new shell, roof, walls, electrical and mechanical systems – as well as everything within the store including racking, shelving, kitchen and bathrooms displays, checkouts, service desks and offices.
The Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Bernie Kelly, said she was delighted to be present at such a significant reopening: “The Homebase team has done a magnificent job in recovering from a most unnecessary and distressing experience. To reopen this store in such a short timescale is quite an achievement and I congratulate them and wish them the very best for future trading.”
Even though none of the 50-strong team could stay working at the store once it was destroyed, all of them were relocated to local stores in Galwally, Newtownabbey and Antrim. Now, back together again, team morale is high and they’re keen to get back into the new-look store, according to store manager, Alan Kennedy:
“It’s incredibly hard for a store team to keep up their morale and stay focused when they are split up and relocated, but the team here have really exceeded our expectations as to how they’ve coped. They can see a vast improvement in this store compared to the old one, with many commenting how fantastic it looks. There are three new concept areas – a kids section, home office department and modular storage with a versatile range of functional storage solutions.
“We have the largest display of furniture and bathrooms of any other Homebase store in Northern Ireland, and an extra 3,000 added lines that we didn’t range in the old store. The new interior store area offers an exceptional range of home enhancement lines, from dinner sets and wine glasses, textiles to cushions, finishing touches and everything in between. We’re all really excited about this new beginning and can’t wait to welcome back customers, both old and new.”
Ian Jones, Homebase retail operations director, said he was proud of the store team for maintaining such great morale during the time they’d been relocated: “The team were already a tight knit group of people with many of them meeting socially and it’s this team effort that will make the new Homebase Shane Park store the success it deserves to be.”
The Belfast store, before it was destroyed, was actively involved in fundraising for Marie Curie Cancer Care, Homebase’s charity partnership, which began in August 2006. In just three months the store was ranked second across all 300 UK stores, raising over £2,800 for the charity. Even when relocated, the store team have been involved in the other stores’ fundraising efforts and intend to continue their enthusiasm and dedication to the charity now they’re back together. Collectively, the eight Northern Ireland stores have committed to raising £15,000 for Marie Curie Cancer Care through a prize draw which is taking place at the store opening.
– ENDS –
