Home Bargains has invested approximately £3 million in its new store in Stoke-on-Trent, which will be officially opened at 8.00 am on Saturday 11th September 2021.
As one of the UK’s largest family-run retailers, Home Bargains is creating 51 new jobs in the local community with its store on Festival Park. In total, the store will employ 58 team members, including some staff and management who will be transferring from local stores.
It will also be donating £2,000 to local charity Alice Charity, which was founded in 2011 to provide local families with practical and emotional support. This includes food parcels, free baby and toddler groups, provision of items including carpets, white goods, beds etc. (both new and second-hand) and baby equipment. As well as emotional support, including home visits, wellbeing calls and signposting, and the charity’s Little Kindnesses project which supports with ad-hoc requests such as train fares to flee domestic violence, school uniforms and counselling.
Steph Talbot, CEO of Alice Charity, said: “We cannot thank Home Bargains enough for their generous donation to celebrate the opening of their new Festival Park, Hanley store. We are expecting a huge uplift in demand for our services over the coming months as the furlough scheme ends, the COVID-19 uplift in Universal Credit benefit comes to an end and the ‘economic bite’ of the pandemic becomes a reality.
“Our income-generating opportunities are severely impacted due to the reluctance of people to engage in fundraising events/activities, and our business support is challenged as businesses face so much uncertainty. This donation from Home Bargains couldn’t come at a better time – thank you seems woefully inadequate but thank you.”
The new Stoke-on-Trent store will join over 575 outlets across the UK. Opening approximately 50 stores a year, Home Bargains is bucking current trends in the industry.
Neil Birks, the new Stoke-on-Trent store manager, said: “I started my Home Bargains journey 13 years ago as a Lead Sales Assistant, so it’s a very proud moment to now be in the position I am – opening our new Stoke-on-Trent store as Store Manager, alongside such a fantastic team.”
The 15,920 sq ft store will offer shoppers a range of products, including homewares, health and beauty essentials, sweets, snacks and drinks, as well as fresh and frozen food.
The new store will also come with its own bakery, serving a delicious range of fresh bread, pastries and cakes that will be baked in-store daily.
Birks added: “Festival 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.
