Homebase to close its retail park store

Application submitted to add parking spaces and split the unit in two

Newbury's Homebase store will close for the last time on September 5.

The closure of the store, at Newbury Retail Park, is a result of Homebase’s company voluntary assesment (CVA) following a period of uncertainty.

There is a rumour that the supermarket giant Aldi is moving in, but this has not yet been officially confirmed.

A Homebase spokesman said: “Since the launch of our CVA in August 2018, we have been in conversations with landlords to secure the right rents as part of our efforts to address our fixed- cost base.

“Under the terms of our CVA, landlords have the opportunity to end their lease on July 1, 2019, if they would like to pursue other opportunities for the store.

“For the Homebase store in Newbury, we have been unable to come to an agreement that works for both parties and as such, landlords for these stores have exercised their right to end the lease.

“Our priority is to support our affected team members who have shown us loyalty and energy throughout what has been an unsettling time.”

Plans for the store were submitted by F&C Commercial Property Holdings on June 19, which seek an additional 25 car parking spaces on 1,520sq metres on “the former garden centre” at Unit 9 on the retail park.

A separate application wants to split the 4,080 sq m Homebase store into two separate units, complete with a rear extension to provide a dock-loading bay.

The application states that the store “is a large retail unit with associated external retail (garden centre) space that is no longer a relevant space in the ever-changing retail industry”.

It adds: “The solution is to divide the unit into two separate retails units.”