Wickes

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British home improvement store chain

title: "Wickes" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["retail-companies-established-in-1854", "home-improvement-companies-of-the-united-kingdom", "1854-establishments-in-england", "2000-mergers-and-acquisitions", "2004-mergers-and-acquisitions", "companies-in-the-ftse-smallcap-index", "companies-in-the-ftse-250-index"] description: "British home improvement store chain" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wickes" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary British home improvement store chain ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]

Field	Value
name	Wickes Group plc
trade_name	Wickes
image	Wickes Farnborough - October 2024.jpg
image_caption	Store in Farnborough in 2024
logo	Wickes logo.svg
type	Public
traded_as
foundation	1972
location_city	Watford
location_country	England, United Kingdom
locations	228 (2020)
area_served	United Kingdom
key_people	Christopher Rogers (Chairman)
David Wood (CEO)
industry	Retail
products
revenue	£1,538.8 million (2024)
operating_income	£47.3 million (2024)
net_income	£18.4 million (2024)
homepage
::

Wickes Group plc is a British home improvement retailer. It is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the United Kingdom, behind B&Q. Whilst it is open to the general public, its sales of supplies and materials are predominantly orientated towards tradespeople. It is a specialist in kitchen and bathroom installations, with display showrooms at its locations. It was spun off from Travis Perkins in April 2021.

It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Wickes,_Leads_Road_Hull_Sign.jpg" caption="Wickes store sign (2011)"] ::

In 1972, the United States–based Wickes Companies, whose operations included a chain of lumberyards, teamed with British builders' merchants' Sankey's to open the first Wickes store in the United Kingdom. By 1987 Wickes was trading from 41 locations, and was floated on the London Stock Exchange under the leadership of CEO Henry Sweetbaum. Serious accounting irregularities, involving the overstatement of profits, were uncovered in June 1996.

In November 1996 Bill Grimsey was appointed CEO, to oversee its recovery from the accounting scandal that saw its share price suspended and the banks foreclosing. In January 1997, Grimsey launched a rights issue, started an employee share scheme, and turned around the company's image.

In September 2000, Wickes was purchased by Focus Group, with backing from Duke Street Capital. This deal eventually made Focus Group the UK's second largest home improvement retailer, behind B&Q. Thirty-six Focus stores were rebranded to Focus DIY, growing Wickes from 131 stores in October 2000 to 172 in March 2004.

In December 2004, Focus Group sold Wickes to Travis Perkins. The sale was completed in February 2005.

Wickes acquired seven stores from a struggling Focus DIY in October 2007, after Cerberus Capital took it over in June 2007 for £1; these stores were in Glossop, Mansfield, Penrith, Bulwell, Plumstead, Dumfries and Hereford.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Wickes_crawley2.jpg" caption="New-style Wickes store, Crawley, West Sussex (2019)"] ::

In December 1996, the management of Wickes decided to cut back its operations in France, Belgium and the Netherlands and to concentrate solely on its operations in the United Kingdom. All mainland operations in Europe were sold to the French do it yourself chain, Bricorama, in June 1997. The company's joint venture in South Africa ended in February 1997.

In May 2011, it was announced that Wickes had purchased thirteen stores from the appointed administrators of Focus DIY, Ernst & Young, saving 345 jobs. By 2017, the company had over two hundred stores in the United Kingdom.

The company had entered into a franchise agreement for the Wickes brand to be operated in Ireland by a subsidiary of Moritz Holdings, an Irish developer. The first store opened in Limerick. Moritz had planned to open fifteen stores within five years, but initial plans for a €30million expansion were later put on hold, pending an assessment of market conditions, in April 2009. The franchise relationship ended in February 2013, with the store closed down, and the liquidator was "denied access" to the store.

In May 2018, BBC News Online reported that Wickes planned to cut a third of its head office workforce in a bid to reduce costs. Parent company Travis Perkins said the cuts would affect workers in Watford, Hertfordshire, where it employed three hundred people.

In July 2019, along with reports of sales being up 9.7%, the parent company of Wickes, Travis Perkins, announced plans to action a demerger and spin off Wickes, quoting Wickes "is well positioned to thrive as a stand alone business" and "will have the autonomy to execute on its strategy and allocate capital to its customer proposition and growth opportunities with a clearer focus." In April 2021, it was confirmed that Wickes would be demerged from Travis Perkins by the end of the month.

The demerger was completed on 28 April 2021, with Wickes Group plc launching on the London Stock Exchange.

In June 2023, Wickes' ex-Chief Operating Officer Fraser Longden caused controversy by labelling some customers "bigots" over their perceived attitudes to transgender people. The company has supported various LGBTQ+ events.

References

"Annual Results 2024". Wickes.
Saker-Clark, Henry. (2023-03-17). "Home improvement firms set to post lower profits after costs soar".
Eley, Jonathan. (2021-04-28). "Wickes counts on kitchens and bathrooms in London market return". Financial Times.
Jahshan, Elias. (2021-04-28). "Travis Perkins shareholders give Wickes spin-off the green light".
(4 June 2023). "FTSE UK Index Series – Annual Review June 2023". FTSE Russell.
(27 July 1996). "The DIY boss and the private network he assembled himself". The Independent.
(26 June 1996). "INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS; Wickes Says It Found Accounting Irregularities". The New York Times.
Tooher, Patrick. (29 November 1996). "Wickes names Grimsey as new chief executive". The Independent.
Cope, Nigel. (7 January 1997). "Wickes to resume trading today". The Independent.
(1 September 2000). "Do It All at Wickes". BBC News.
(17 December 2004). "Travis nails Wickes for £950m". The Guardian.
"Wickes – Corporate".
(4 February 2005). "Anticipated acquisition by Travis Perkins plc of Wickes Ltd". Office of Fair Trading.
(18 June 2007). "Focus DIY sold for £1". The Guardian.
(13 December 1996). "Rights issue to ward off receivers at Wickes". The Independent.
(8 May 1997). "Bricorama reprend la branche continentale de Wickes". www.lsa-conso.fr.
(18 February 1997). "Wickes withdraws from South African venture". The Independent.
(16 May 2011). "Wickes buys 13 stores from Focus". BBC News.
(3 January 2017). "Top 20 DIY stores in Britain". The Telegraph.
(26 October 2007). "Travis Perkins in deal with Ireland's Moritz to open Wickes franchises".
(26 October 2007). "Wickes strikes franchise deal to enter Ireland".
(21 April 2009). "Expansion of Wickes DIY stores put on hold". Irish Independent.
(26 October 2007). "Travis Perkins PLC (TPK)".
(2 July 2013). "Liquidator 'denied access' to DIY store in Limerick".
(15 May 2018). "DIY retailer Wickes to axe third of head office jobs". BBC News.
Szajna-Hopgood, Ava. (31 July 2019). "Travis Perkins details plans for Wickes demerger".
(21 April 2021). "Wickes IPO: what to expect from its demerger from Travis Perkins". City Index.
"London Stock Exchange welcomes Wickes Group plc to the Premium Segment of the Main Market".
"Wickes faces boycott after boss said trans critical shoppers are ‘not welcome in our stores’".
"Wickes Pride". Mediorite.

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