Discount retailer Home Bargains set to create 55 jobs at new Liverpool store in a £5m investment. Tony McDonough reports
Home Bargains will open its latest Liverpool store later this week in a £5m investment.
Located in Childwall Valley Road in south Liverpool, the new store will see the creation of 55 jobs. Its will join more than 570 UK outlets operated by the Liverpool-based value retail chain which employs more than 28,000 people.
Owned by TJ Morris, the Home Bargains brand competes with another Liverpool business, B&M, for the UK value retail spend. Home Bargains HQ and main distribution hub is in Croxteth while B&M operates from Speke.
In March TJ Morris posted its annual financial results for the year to June 30, 2022. It revealed an increase in sales to £3.41bn from £3.33bn the previous year. However, pre-tax profits fell to £293.1m from £396.7m for the 12-month period.
It lags behind B&M in the number of outlets. B&M, which also owns the Heron frozen food brand, has 1,133 outlets in the UK and France. It has annual sales of around £4.7bn.
However, Home Bargains has ambitious plans to keep growing its store network. It eventually aims to have between 800 and 1,000 outlets.
At the new store in Childwall some of the staff and management will be transferring from other Liverpool outlets. Occupying 24,154 sq ft, it on the site of the former Bridge Inn pub.
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Stephanie Oflaherty is the new Childwall Valley Road store manager. After joining the business in November 2013, she has worked in several stores across Liverpool. She was a team member at Wavertree then Prescot, where she was deputy store manager.
“This has been such an exciting challenge and an honour to be able to open a brand-new store. Watching it grow from an empty shell into a fully functioning store has been amazing,” she said.
The store will include a bakery and will be open 8am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.
Home Bargains will also be donating £2,000 to a local charity, Netherley Youth & Community Initiative.
Stephanie added: “Childwall Valley Road will be a great location for us, and we’re proud to be able to offer local people top-branded goods at exceptionally low prices.”