B&M Bargains buys eleven Focus stores

Following the collapse of the Focus DIY chain this month, B&M Bargains, a discount chain with 320 stores, has reached agreement with administrators at Ernst & Young to purchase eleven of the Focus stores. Its acquisition of the stores will save the jobs of the 211 staff working in them. B&M Bargains was established in 1976 and is now one of the leading variety retailers in the UK. The acquisition is part of the company’s strategy for evolving from purely city-centre locations to larger out-of-town outlets. Managers at the Blackpool-based retailer have spent the last week visiting Focus stores across the country to identify those that match the existing portfolio. In the last year B&M Bargains has acquired the household goods chain Opus with out-of-town stores for £ 48 mio, thereby extending its presence northwards to Scotland and Northern Ireland. B&M Bargains is one of the leading variety retailers in the UK.