Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Latest NewsHR practiceRecruitment & retention

Home Retail Group HR boss predicts hard times for Homebase

by Louisa Peacock 25 Apr 2008
by Louisa Peacock 25 Apr 2008

A senior HR figure at Homebase’s parent company has admitted that the DIY giant faces a “difficult year”.


Jane Watkinson, head of HR at Home Retail Group, blamed tightened consumer spending, a lack of home improvement reality TV shows and the bad weather for its downturn in fortunes.


“The DIY market is very tricky,” she told Personnel Today. “If you look across the market sector at stores like B&Q, we’re all facing similar challenges.


“If you imagine watching TV a couple of years ago, nearly every programme was about changing rooms or doing up your house – now it’s all about cookery. Those [DIY] programmes used to drive customers in for their weekend projects. Now people aren’t spending as much.”


Watkinson also said the rainy spring weather had driven customers away. “Last April [when it was hot] was a different story,” she said.


However, Watkinson stressed that she was not expecting to make redundancies.


“We’ve planned very well for a difficult year ahead. When business toughens you have to be very clear in your communication, make sure staff understand what’s happening, and be honest with them about expectations,” she said.


“If we know we are going to have a bad year, and that means we have to manage costs. We need to tell staff that’s what we expect.”


The Home Retail Group, which also owns budget chain Argos, employs more than 50,000 people across the UK.

Avatar
Louisa Peacock

previous post
MPs call for Euro-style schemes to focus employers on wellbeing
next post
Bullying and harassment investigators hired by Suffolk County Council

You may also like

CBI members vote to support renewal plans

6 Jun 2023

Government responds to umbrella company call for evidence

6 Jun 2023

Gender pensions gap is more a ‘gaping chasm’

6 Jun 2023

UKG buys global payroll provider Immedis

6 Jun 2023

BBC, Boots and BA see employee data hit...

6 Jun 2023

Why embracing big data is HR’s key to...

6 Jun 2023

Portugal launches four-day week trial

6 Jun 2023

Report recommends student loan-style scheme for pilot training

5 Jun 2023

Think tank seeks investment for basic income trial

5 Jun 2023

Hybrid working: why presence bias is still an...

5 Jun 2023

  • The HR Bundle: Your one-stop guide to building a successful global HR Department PROMOTED | Get your hands on Deel’s free HR bundle...Read more
  • The Benefits of an Employee Assistance Programme PROMOTED | EAPs support employees in a range of ways...Read more
  • Intergenerational working and how to manage up and down the generations PROMOTED | The benefits and challenges of intergenerational workplaces...Read more
  • Bereavement in the workplace: How training can help HR get it right PROMOTED | HR professionals play an essential role...Read more
  • UK workforce mental wellbeing needs PROMOTED | The mental wellbeing support employers are providing misses the mark...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+