Home Bargains has invested approximately £1 million in its new store in Twickenham, which will be officially opened at 8.00 am on Saturday 20 February 2021.
As one of the UK’s largest family-run retailers, Home Bargains is creating 64 new jobs in the local community with its store on Ivybridge Retail Park. In total, the store will employ 69 team members, including some staff and management who will be transferring from local stores.
It will also be donating £2,000 to the local charity, HANDS, which offers friendly, practical support to anyone in need in Twickenham and St Margaret’s, especially older people and those who are isolated.
HANDS was started in 1977 by Twickenham resident Maureen Payan and stands for Help a Neighbour in Distress Scheme. The charity aims to improve people’s quality of life and help maintain cherished independence.
Maurice Austen, Treasurer at HANDS, said: “This generous donation from Home Bargains is a significant one for the charity and will help us meet some of the day-to-day costs of running the charity. We have no regular source of income and use our accumulated reserves year on year to fund our work and the shortfall in annual income.
“If not for the current pandemic, we would be arranging outings, social events, a bi-weekly shopping bus, holding a regular Sunday lunch club, helping clients get to appointments, running a befriending service for the lonely and organising an annual ‘HANDS May Fair’. Work during lockdown has been restricted to a telephone befriending services, which currently averages between 40 and 50 calls a week, and shopping for individual clients – we have done over £35,000 worth of shopping, which is about 1,700 individual shops. Our volunteers are amazing individuals who step up to the challenge whatever it is and whenever asked.
“So, on behalf of everyone involved with HANDS and our clients, we give many thanks to Home Bargains in Twickenham and we all wish a successful opening of the new store.”
The new Twickenham store will join over 500 outlets across the UK. Opening approximately 50 stores a year, Home Bargains is bucking current trends in the industry.
Prahbdeep Sandhu, the new Twickenham store manager, said: “Having recently joined the Home Bargains family, I’m thrilled to be heading up the Twickenham team as its new store manager.
“I’ve been in the retail sector for many years, having started out as a sales assistant myself, but I can honestly say nothing beats the buzz of opening a brand-new store.”
The 10,376 sq ft store, which formally housed Currys PC World, will offer shoppers a range of products, including homewares, health and beauty essentials, sweets, snacks and drinks, as well as fresh and frozen food.
Prahbdeep added: “Ivybridge Retail Park 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.”
With more than five million customers each week, Home Bargains is one of the country’s best-loved discount retailers, stocking top-quality branded goods at low prices.
