Bunnings to take over Home Base

[PatB]

On power tools, things change over time, too. Back c1990, Dad and I bought a pair of Makita cordless drill drivers for use in our landscaping and garden carpentry business. They were brilliant and indestructible. 15 years later, I bought an equivalent Makita cordless for general DIY use and it was rubbish. Gutless, uncomfortable to use and expired quite quickly. Not a patch on its predecessors. I've also got a big Maktec (allegedly Makita's DIY range) router which I was talked into buying against my better judgement. It works but it's not very nice to use. A little Makita router, though, is lovely. The landscaping business also brought me into contact with B&D Professional kit, all of which we found to be excellent (back then), with corded drills and our big 9" grinder all taking severe abuse without complaint for years. I've had a Metabo sander have its paper retaining mechanism fall to bits very early on. Current favourite manufacturer is Hitachi. I've found their cordless drills to be excellent value and very robust. Ditto my 4" angle grinder, which has worked hard for its living at times.

 

As for Dick Smiths, I never bought anything from them without feeling mildly disappointed/slightly ripped-off. I much preferred Jaycar or Altronics, even when DS still existed.

[DougN]

PatB. I have seen the change as you say in the early 90's Makita was indestructible. Now as they are one of the done down to a price here in Bunnings to compete with dewalt Ryobi and others. But if you go looking for the tradies tool shop of Totaltools and others you will find the real trade based makita which is just as tough but you pay for it as it has all the old high quality parts. Bunnings practically has its own makita lines so as not to fall fowl of the beat it by 10% thing.. as total tools also sell the same tool but with a different code number and possibly the features you needed! Along side the "trade" high price gear. I do a fair bit of DIY and building stuff, recently I became the owner of a dewalt mitre compound saw which is lovely to use, even though it needs a new blade!

[Horsetan]

Wow, I didn't know Dick Smith had gone down the pan. I think I've still got a couple of massive LEDs from one of their branches in Melbourne....

[kevinlms]

Wow, I didn't know Dick Smith had gone down the pan. I think I've still got a couple of massive LEDs from one of their branches in Melbourne....

It took quite a few years for them to die. Dick Smith founded it (obviously), but sold it off to Woolworths years ago. Around Sydney he had delivery vehicles labelled up as the "electronic D i c k".

Gradually Woolworths lost interest & started getting rid of the traditional range. It ended up that the staff no longer knew what a soldering iron was, let alone any components, you might what to use it on!

 

Their stock purchasing & control was so bad at one stage, that they had in the warehouse, enough AA & AAA batteries to last 8 - 10 years!!! Allegedly they sold much of it back to their suppliers (how much can batteries with your labelling on, possibly be worth to the supplier?). Anyway, that set them up to be listed on the ASX. Many got badly burnt!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Smith_(retailer)

[Horsetan]

It took quite a few years for them to die. Dick Smith founded it (obviously), but sold it off to Woolworths years ago. Around Sydney he had delivery vehicles labelled up as the "electronic D i c k".

Gradually Woolworths lost interest & started getting rid of the traditional range. It ended up that the staff no longer knew what a soldering iron was, let alone any components, you might what to use it on!

 

Their stock purchasing & control was so bad at one stage, that they had in the warehouse, enough AA & AAA batteries to last 8 - 10 years!!! Allegedly they sold much of it back to their suppliers (how much can batteries with your labelling on, possibly be worth to the supplier?). Anyway, that set them up to be listed on the ASX. Many got badly burnt!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Smith_(retailer)

I bet there was a lot of corporate BS involved!

[melmerby]

I'm fortunate that close to where I live is a proper sawmill where you can buy timber of any type and they will cut it, plane it, route it etc. to your specification.

They are extremely helpful if you don't know quite what you want.

They are also cheaper than the DIY chains.

 

B&Q usually have a timber cutting service but I have found the person qualified to use the kit is often unavailable which rather defeats the point of it.

 

Keith

Edited September 22, 2018 by melmerby

[Sidecar Racer]

I  heard, some years ago that Focus failed, partly to getting in financial advisors who suggested they sold their stores, and rented them back, to release capital. But, there was a hook up between the advisors and the company who rented back the stores, who increased the rentals. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2011/may/29/focus-diy-collapse-sparks-anger-private-equity-firms.

 

A lot of movement locally. The original Great Mills store became a Focus store, and then the site was occupied by a discount seller, Hypervalue, later renamed Buyology. B&Q moved to a larger purpose built warehouse, and Buyology moved into their old site. When the lease was due, they moved out and Matalan moved in. A while later, Wickes moved to the old Focus store, and Buyology opened in the old Wickes store. Then B&Q left the area completely, Buyology moved out too, and now the old Wickes store is a M&S food store, and the old B&Q store is another sort of discount store B&M. All within the space of a few years.

 

 That would be Bridgwater then !!!

[Butler Henderson]

The nearest Homebase to me use to do timber cutting but that was one of the first casualties of the Bunnings ownership even if it never got rebranded.

[PatB]

 That would be Bridgwater then !!!

 

Sounds a lot more commercially exciting than the Bridgwater I remember from 30+ years ago .

[Sidecar Racer]

Sounds a lot more commercially exciting than the Bridgwater I remember from 30+ years ago .

 

 Until you see the town center , just a shadow of what it used to be . Now a collection of

take aways , bookies , charity shops and curry houses . Even lost a lot of pubs too .

[Horsetan]

... . Now a collection of

take aways , bookies , charity shops and curry houses . Even lost a lot of pubs too .

Just like the non-developed bits of that London then.

[melmerby]

Just like the non-developed bits of that London then.

Just like everywhere else then

 

I was astounded to notice last Thursday just how high streets are changing as on a bus going through a suburb of Birmingham I counted in a parade of 16 shops, a Boots, a bookies, an estate agent and an insurance broker, the other 12 were bars, restaurants and takeaways.

The opposite side of the road wasnt much different.

 

In the centre of Birmingham the Maplins was snapped up very quickly for another bar.

 

Keith

[jjb1970]

Tools are like anything else, judging them based on brand image is not an especially reliable way to go about deciding what to buy. I've seen some real garbage sold as Bosch, equally some of the best power tools I've seen have been Bosch. Ditto Makita, De Walt, B&D, Metabo etc.

[jjb1970]

A few years ago I laid a patio and bought an el-cheapo disc cutter from one of the discount super markets, a made in China brand I'd never heard of and have never seen again. It did the job and worked perfectly well to do the job I bought it for. I got the impression it wouldn't have lasted much longer but I've never had cause for a large disc cutter since and it cost a fraction of the cost of a half decent branded model.

[stewartingram]

Last year before I retired, and sitting on a bus from Waterloo to KGX, I was musing over how much better (forshops) it was back home in Cambs. I did an impromptu survey in my head as to the contents of the retail units en route.

The result was quite staggering, If you remove prepared food related premises (pubs, restaurants, takeaways etc), medicals (opticians, doctors, dentists etc), banks & building societies, estate agents, you get very few "retail" premises - I think about 15-20% remained, and nothing that is "High St" in our local towns.

 

Stewart

[raymw]

 

That would be Bridgwater then !!!

The Jewel of the Parrett

[Sidecar Racer]

The Jewel of the Parrett

 

There really is'nt a suitable response button for that .  

[MJI]

When B&Q opened in Redditch it was a huge warehouse store complete with a separate trade section.

It was close to the town centre and one of the Fast (70 mph) dual carriageway roads that link the different districts of the town.

There was a large free car park.

One would have thought it would have done well in what is/was a fast expanding new town.

Although it was well stocked it never was over busy.

 

Now half the store (including the trade) has gone and the rest is an Asda!

However in Shirley (south of Birmingham) the store there expanded 50% some years ago by taking over the furniture store next door.

 

Keith

 

Used it in past, saw it after shrinking, did not even go inside.

 

Gloucester is still huge

 

[45156]

I've been following this thread for a while.

 

Ryobi drills and cordless were recommended to be by my builder, and I got one of each - a few years on, and he gave me four batteries (all ni-cad, unfortunately, and three of them were knackered) and a high spped charger, as he'd changed to De Walt for all his tools - 'nuff said.  I do still like my Ryobi cordless drilll/driver, but I do wish I'd got the version with Li-ion batteries, as the ni-cads that I still have are getting to lose their charge too quickly now).  The corded drill is, on the other hand, quite gutless, and gets very little use - I still use a Bosch which I got years and years before.

 

Now then, DIY stores in Lancaster and Morecambe  - we had a Focus - now demolished and a Home Bargains store stands on the site (it was also a Payless at some stage), a B&Q. a Do It All, a Wickes, and a Homebase.  The B&Q always was useless, and is slated to close before Christmas, to be either demolished, or refitted as an Aldi (still don't know which).  The Homebase has an uncertain future, and that will leave is with one of the worst branches of a useless chain in the country.  Oh yes, and we have two branches of Screwfix, and also a Plumb Centre - useless if you need any garden items at all.  We may need to go to Preston soon for a decent DIY store.  Should be fun!

[PatB]

The Jewel of the Parrett

Having spent my formative years nearby, I think of it more as a coprolite .