Home Retail Group
 |
|
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Traded as | LSE: HOME, OTCQX: HMRTY |
| Industry | Retailer |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Milton Keynes, England, UK |
| Key people | John Coombe Chairman Terry Duddy CEO |
| Products | Consumer goods |
| Revenue | £5,491.5 million (2012)[1] |
| Operating income | £98.7 million (2012)[1] |
| Net income | £72.8 million (2012)[1] |
| Employees | circa 50,000 (2012) |
| Website | www.homeretailgroup.com |
Home Retail Group plc (LSE: HOME) is the UK's leading home and general merchandise retailer. It is the parent company of Ireland and the UK retailers Argos and Homebase. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
History
GUS plc acquired Argos in 1998 and combined it with its mail order business to form Argos Retail Group ('ARG') in 2000.[2] It went on to acquire Homebase in 2002, bringing it into ARG.[2] In 2005, GUS bought 33 Index stores, which were subsequently converted to the Argos format.[3] ARG was renamed Home Retail Group upon its 2006 demerger from GUS.[4] Shares in Home Retail Group were traded on the London Stock Exchange as from 11 October 2006.[5] In 2007, Home Retail Group bought 27 stores from Focus DIY and converted them to the Homebase format.[6] In 2011, the Group bought the exclusive rights to the Habitat brand, its brand designs and intellectual property in Ireland and the UK, along with three stores in London and its website.[7]
Operations
Home Retail Group has over 1,000 stores in Ireland and the United Kingdom and comprises the following operating companies:[8]
Own Brands
Home Retail Group owns a number of well-known brands, including:[9]
- Alba
- Bush
- Chad Valley
- Habitat
- Hygena
- Schreiber
Joint Ventures and Associates
The Group has a 49% holding in a multi-channel general merchandise retail business in China, called HH Retail Limited, with Haier Group - one of the world's leading home appliance manufacturers - holding the remaining 51%.[10] The Group also owns a 33% shareholding in Ogalas Limited, which trades as 'home store + more' in Ireland.[11]
Financial performance
All figures below are for the Group's financial years, which run for 52 or 53 week periods to late February/early March.[1]
| 52/3 weeks ended | Turnover (£m) | Profit/(loss) before tax (£m) | Profit/(loss) for year (£m) | Basic earnings per share (p) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 March 2012 | 5,582.8 | 104.1 | 72.8 | 9.1 |
| 26 February 2011 | 5,851.9 | 265.2 | 190.9 | 23.1 |
| 27 February 2010 | 6,022.7 | 293.0 | 209.8 | 24.3 |
| 28 February 2009 | 5,897.4 | (394.2) | (413.1) | (47.7) |
| 1 March 2008 | 5,984.8 | 426.0 | 294.6 | 34.0 |
References
- ^ a b c d Preliminary Results 2012
- ^ a b Home Retail Group: Our story
- ^ Anticipated acquisition by GUS plc of part of the Index Business of Littlewoods Ltd OFT
- ^ GUS reveals demerger plans
- ^ London Stock Exchange Welcome story
- ^ Completed acquisition by Home Retail Group plc of 27 leasehold properties from Focus (DIY) Ltd OFT
- ^ Habitat stores enter administration as part of sale BBC, 24 June 2011
- ^ Home Retail Group: Our businesses
- ^ Home Retail Group: Our brands
- ^ Haier Elec (HKG:1169) invests US$15M in JV with Home Retail Chinese Stock Information, 19 October 2011
- ^ Commission clears acquisition of Ogalas by Home Retail and Durinicum Practial Law, 2007
