Dunelm enters ROI market with acquisition of soft furnishings retailer
Dunelm has entered the Republic of Ireland market for the first time with the acquisition of an Irish soft furnishings retailer.
Homefocus Group – which trades under the ‘Home Focus at Hickeys’ brand – operates 13 stores in the ROI alongside home delivery and click-and-collect services.
The brand specialises in fabrics, with a focus on home categories such as curtains and bedding.
Dunelm said the acquisition provides an “attractive opportunity” to connect with more customers by entering a new geography, which it said has a homewares market worth over £1bn.
The acquisition provides the retailer with coverage across the ROI, through Home Focus’ portfolio of smaller stores, which are all less than 10,000 sq ft in size.
Earlier this year, Dunelm said it was “increasingly confident” in its smaller format stores.
The retailer said it sees potential to offer a broader range of products in Home Focus stores, in line with its existing smaller format stores in the UK.
Dunelm added that it sees an opportunity to introduce a more comprehensive online proposition and in time will assess new store opportunities across Ireland.
Nick Wilkinson, CEO of Dunelm, said: “In Home Focus we have found a high-quality and complementary business, with a shared heritage in home textiles and strong values which stem from family ownership. We’ve really enjoyed getting to know the team and look forward to welcoming them to the Dunelm family as we work together to further develop and invest in their specialist home proposition.
“We see a clear opportunity to introduce more choice and value into the offer which Home Focus has built for its customers. With an established national store footprint and expertise in mutual growth areas like Made to Measure, we’re confident that Home Focus will help us to continue unlocking our full potential.
“We’re proud to be embarking on this journey with Home Focus and investing in the next stage of its story, where we look forward to providing further opportunities for colleague development, creating additional jobs, and supporting local communities.”
Ian Donnelly, managing director of Home Focus, added: “With around 80 years in business, we have been looking for a new custodian to take Home Focus into its next chapter. Dunelm immediately struck us as having a clear cultural fit, with a strong team guided by sound values and focused on investing for long-term growth.
“We’re confident that Dunelm’s experience as a multi-channel retailer, together with its ability to offer a wider assortment of products across multiple home categories, will offer both our colleagues and customers an even better proposition as we move forward.”