B&M snaps up 11 former Focus stores

THE administrators of Crewe-based DIY chain Focus DIY have sold a further 11 stores to Liverpool discount retailer B&M Retail.

Simon Allport, joint administrator of Focus DIY and head of Ernst & Young’s Manchester office, said: “We are delighted to have completed another sale of Focus stores, securing a further 211 of jobs.”  

The sale follows a deal announced on Tuesday (May 17) to offload 13 stores to Travis Perkins, which owns the rival Wickes brand. Around  345 jobs will be saved following the transfer of staff to Wickes.

Ernst & Young was appointed as administrator to Focus Group on May 5. It traded from 175 stores and employed 3,920 people. In the year to February 21, 2010, it declared a loss of £21m on sales of nearly £490m.

Since its appointment, Ernst & Young has also sold 31 stores to B&Q owner Kingfisher for £23m.

The administrators now remain in charge of around 167 stores. Following the Wickes sale, Allport said that the remaining stores were continuing to trade positively.  He said: “Since the date of the administrators’ appointment, stores have been trading at record levels as we have been able to offer very competitive prices across the full product range.”