Dunelm, the UK’s leading home furnishing retailer, has acquired Homefocus Group Ltd.
With 13 sites in upscale areas throughout the Republic of Ireland, Home Focus is a retailer of soft furnishings that operates under the “Home Focus at Hickeys” brand. In addition to offering home delivery, the company’s web platform allows users to “Click & Reserve” items for in-store pickup. The brand focuses on fabrics and specializes in particular household categories, such as bedding and curtains. Dunelm will be open to Home Focus’ around 140 coworkers.
With a homewares market worth over £1 billion, the acquisition presents Dunelm with an alluring chance to expand its client base by entering a new region. With Home Focus’ network of smaller stores (less than 10,000 square feet), the acquisition instantly gives the Group good coverage throughout the Republic of Ireland. In keeping with the Group’s current smaller format stores in the UK, Dunelm sees opportunity to expand the selection of products offered in Home Focus stores, providing customers with additional options and a more complete home décor selection. Additionally, Dunelm sees a chance to launch a more extensive online offering and will eventually evaluate potential new shop locations around Ireland.
“We have found a high-quality and complementary business in Home Focus, with a shared heritage in home textiles and strong values which stem from family ownership,” stated Nick Wilkinson, CEO of Dunelm.
As we collaborate to further develop and invest in their specialized home proposition, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the team and are excited to have them join the Dunelm family. We see an obvious chance to provide more options and value to the package that Home Focus has created for its clients. We are certain that Home Focus will enable us to continue realizing our full potential because of its well-established national store footprint and experience in areas of mutual growth like Made to Measure. “We’re excited to be starting this journey with Home Focus and investing in the next chapter of its story, where we hope to support local communities, create more jobs, and offer more opportunities for colleague development.”
“After about 80 years in business, we have been searching for a new custodian to take Home Focus into its next chapter,” said Ian Donnelly, Managing Director of Home Focus. We saw right away that Dunelm had a solid staff led by moral principles and committed to long-term success through investment.
“We’re sure that Dunelm’s background as a multi-channel retailer and its capacity to provide a greater range of products across various home categories will provide our coworkers and customers with an even better offer as we proceed.”
