Home Bargains
Home Bargains is a chain of discount stores founded in 1976 by Tom Morris in Liverpool, England, as Home and Bargain. It is the trading name of TJ Morris Ltd, stocking up to 4,000 branded product lines, and employs over 22,000 people from head office staff to warehouse and shop staff. In 2013, the company estimated they served over three million customers, and published a record breaking turnover of £1 billion, which was subsequently increased by 50% three years later in 2016. Home Bargains was ranked in sixth place in a "Which?" list of 100 Top Stores , making them the highest ranking discount retailer in the United Kingdom and, according to their website, the largest employer within Merseyside. History. The retailer was founded by owner Tom Morris in 1976 as a single store called Home and Bargain in Old Swan, Liverpool when aged just 21. The name was changed to Home Bargains in 1995 (although it's still colloquially referred to by its original name throughout the Merseyside area) with accompanying blue and red corporate identity, created by relative (and professional graphic designer) Anton Morris. Morris started the business by obtaining a bank overdraft, with typical average  takings initially reaching around £85 per week, and was estimated in October 2014 to have a personal wealth of £2.05 billion, which, by April 2016, had increased to over £3 billion, making him at that time the second richest man in the North West of England. Morris, who was reported to have still owned an 89% stake in the business as of 2013, operates the company with his brother Joe. The business has since grown to become one of the largest privately owned companies within the United Kingdom, selling a variety of household items including food, clothing  and games to name a few across up to 4,000 product lines. Customer numbers were estimated to be in excess of three million in February 2013, with items sold typically consisting of 70% regular lines and the rest as one-off product lines. The retailer was ranked sixth in a "Which?" list of 100 Top Stores, making them the highest ranking retailer within the United Kingdom. Growth. From 1977, annual growth was already strong at 20–25%. They opened their first warehouse in Prescot in 1979. They then moved to the Rocket Warehouse in 1983. Then, in 1994, they moved to  another warehouse, Fallows Way. The retailer gained approval in January 2008 to construct new headquarters in Merseyside, which it estimated would create seven hundred jobs at the Axis business park, Croxteth, as it constructed a ten-storey distribution centre and retail training facility. A £70m distribution centre began construction in October 2013 in Wiltshire, England, as a duplicate of their facility that they had opened at its Liverpool headquarters some years prior, in order that their expansion plans could be maintained. Business operations. Sales strategies. The strap line of the retailer is "Top Brands, Bottom Prices", with operations  director Joe Morris explaining their business model of acquiring stock at the same cost price as the larger supermarkets, but selling them to the public at a cheaper price. In August 2011, "Home Bargains" opened a website to enable customers to shop with them online. Stores and branding. "Home Bargains" stores have red and blue branding. They can usually be found in major shopping streets, as well as in shopping centres and arcades. Most are centrally located though several are in out of town retail parks. Stores range from small to medium outlets, with the retail park outlets being slightly  larger. Store sizes in 2013 were typically between and . In January 2009, the retailer acquired fourteen former Woolworths Group stores from the failed chain Woolworths Group. These stores include Cardiff and Port Talbot in Wales. In Fife, Scotland, two former Woolworths stores have been opened in shopping centres in Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy. Corporate affairs. National expansion. The retailer had aspirations to expand in countries outside of England and Wales in 2007, though owner Tom Morris was keen to ensure such expansion was controlled to avoid the risk of over expansion. The retailer announced in October 2008 that preparations are underway  to expand into Scotland for the first time, opening their first store in Rutherglen in December 2008. By March 2009, the company aimed to have six stores within the area of Glasgow, employing more than two hundred people. In February 2010, the company's £25 million Northern Ireland expansion plan was announced, with plans to have opened up to twenty five stores by 2015, to add to their then portfolio of 190 stores. Financial performance. The retailer has seen strong sales growth over the past few years, with turnover more than doubling in a four-year period (2011 to  2015). In 2009, the firm was aiming to be turning over £1bn a year by 2015, having grown the number of its stores to 350, with the potential for six hundred across the United Kingdom. Their turnover exceeded the £1billion mark in 2013, two years earlier than initially anticipated. The retailer aims to reach the £2billion annual turnover mark by 2020. Affiliates. Home Bargains is also the supplier of similar discount chain Quality Save, whom it supplies all stock, shop fittings, trolleys and tills. Sporting ventures. From April 2013 until January 2016, Home Bargains were kit sponsors  of National League side Tranmere Rovers in a "six figure" deal, replacing long-term sponsors Wirral Council. The sponsorship ended when Rovers signed a three-year sponsorship deal with B&M Waste Services. Since October 2019, they have been the kit sponsors of League One side Bolton Wanderers. Litigation. The retailer was fined over £20,000 in February 2017, after being caught selling phone chargers that risked exploding. The chargers had been imported from China yet had not undergone sufficient safety checks by the retailer, despite Trading Standards having carried out five failed safety checks on the product. Despite being able  to produce a Chinese test certificate indicating that a sample product was safety compliant, Home Bargains subsequentially admitted to three offences of electrical safety through the sale of unsafe chargers during 2015.