CHESTER’S Homebase store has been named among 74 locations that administrators have put up for sale, following the company’s collapse last week.
The DIY and outdoor store went into administration amid reports that bank Wells Fargo declined to extend its lending facility, due to concerns about its finances.
Homebase appointed administrators from consultancy Teneo, who struck a deal to sell the business to retail group CDS, which owns The Range and Wilko, securing the future of up to 1,600 jobs and 70 stores.
However, 74 locations, including the Greyhound Retail Park store in Chester, will now be sold ahead of a November 29 deadline as the group attempts to secure more funds for creditors.
Homebase moved into the former John Lewis unit at the retail park in 2022.
The move to sell is expected to impact around 2,000 workers across the UK.
Tax rebate delay worth £5m
PA reports that the initial financial concerns from Wells Fargo came as the retailer was waiting for around £5m to be remitted back to it in tax rebates.
Commercial real estate adviser Altus Group, which represented the chain, said more than 50 checks, challenges and appeals against the retailer’s property tax liabilities were outstanding at the time of its collapse.
The company was seeking reductions in the overall rateable value of its store portfolio by £5.7 million following a 2023 revaluation of its annual business rates bill.
Altus said that had these been dealt with before the retailer’s collapse, it would have resulted in tax rebates of around £5 million for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years.
Alex Probyn, president of property tax at Altus Group, said: “The appeal process is just far too slow and ultimately damaging to cash flow.
“With business now facing the biggest tax increases in three decades, the 2023 tax base must be corrected quickly to ensure that ratepayers not only receive their rebates timely but also have the confidence that their bills have been set fairly.”
Full list of properties placed on the market:
-Abingdon, Oxfordshire
-Alnwick, Northumberland
-Altrincham Retail Park, Manchester
-Junction One Retail Park, Antrim, Northern Ireland
-Barnstaple, Devon
-Basildon, Essex
-Basingstoke, Hampshire
-Shane Park, Belfast
-Berwick upon Tweed, Northumberland
-Biggleswade, Bedfordshire
-Battery Retail Park, Birmingham
-Bishop Auckland, County Durham
-Bracknell, Berkshire
-Enterprise Five Retail Park, Bradford
-Branksome, Poole
-Bridgend Retail Park, Bridgend, Wales
-Broadstairs, Kent
-Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk
-The Orbital Retail Centre, Cannock, Staffordshire
-Horsted Retail Park, Chatham, Kent
-Cheltenham
-Greyhound Retail Park, Chester
-Discovery Park, Chichester
-Colchester Stanway, Colchester
-Gallagher Retail Park, Coventry
-Rushmore Retail Park, Craigavon
– Daventry, Northamptonshire
-Wyvern Retail Park, Derby
-Dumfries, Scotland
-Halbeath Retail Park, Dunfermline, Scotland
-Farnham Retail Park, Farnham
-Folkestone, Kent
-Drumkeen Complex, Belfast
-Retail World, Gateshead
-Gloucester
-Hamilton, Scotland
-Hanworth, Feltham, London
-Harlow, Essex
-Eddington Business Park, Herne Bay, Kent
-Tyne Valley Retail Park, Hexham
-Heath Retail Park, Honiton
-Hove, Brighton & Hove
-Hull
-Leamington Spa
-Ledbury, Herefordshire
-Moor Allerton Centre, Leeds
-Letterkenny, Republic of Ireland
-Lewes, East Sussex
-London Catford
-London Streatham Vale
-Luton
-South Aylesford Retail Park, Maidstone
-Milton Keynes
-Navan Retail Park, Republic of Ireland
-Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire
-Norwich Hall Road
-Norwich Sprowston
-Madford Retail Park, Nottingham
-Oban, Scotland
-Oldbury, West Midlands
-Wyndham Retail Park, Portishead
-Romford, Essex
-Saffron Walden, Essex
-Sleaford, Lincolnshire
-St Albans
-Sudbury, Suffolk
-Wrekin Retail Park, Telford
-Truro, Cornwall
-Tunbridge Wells
-Upton, Wirral
-Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire
-Waterford, Republic of Ireland
-Wolverhampton
-Worcester
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