Homebase has acquired the collapsed retailer Bathstore, but at least 200 jobs at the bathroom specialist are still at risk.
The home and garden chain, which is controlled by the investment firm Hilco, said it had acquired Bathstore’s website and 44 stores, safeguarding about 150 jobs on the shopfloor and another 25 at head office.
However, the future of another 200 jobs at stores not included in the transaction are in doubt, with the remaining 91 shops set to close once display stock is sold off.
Bathstore employed 531 people and had 135 stores when it collapsed into administration last month. Its demise was blamed on several months of difficult trading as well as the failure to find a buyer. Some 159 redundancies have already been made at Bathstore since BDO was appointed as administrator.
Homebase has said it will roll out a number of Bathstore concessions into its stores over the coming 18 months.
Damian McGloughlin, chief executive, said that the acquisition “complements Homebase’s reinvigorated range”. He said it was on track to break even this year against a loss of over £100 million last year.
