The birth of a new store chain and the recommended merger of two groups have heralded big changes for the Irish DIY market.
Fledgling DIY and garden retailer 4Home opened its first shop last week, at Mallow, Co Cork, and plans to grow to 30 stores.
Last week also saw the recommended EUR336 million (£225.7 million) offer by hardware supply business Grafton Group - owner of Ireland's largest DIY retailer Woodie's, which has 17 stores - for rival Heiton Group, owner of 13 Atlantic Homecare shops.
The owner of the newly established 4Home store, Irish co-operative Dairygold, plans a EUR30 million (£20.2 million) investment to create a 30-store operation with sales of EUR100 million (£67.2 million) in the next three years.
The 24,000 sq ft (2,230 sq m) Mallow outlet will spearhead a franchise-based strategy that Dairygold hopes will fortify domestic hardware retailers against larger chains.
'4Home will offer the independent retailer leading-edge marketing, technology, logistics and operations resources in a market that has been threatened by the large UK multiples,' said 4Home man-aging director Simon Healy.
B&Q plans to open 10 stores from its existing base of two, and Homebase has four Irish shops. Dairygold will convert three of its Co-op Superstores - at Raheen, Carrigaline and Annacotty - to the 4Home banner by September.
Franchise stores will begin opening towards the end of the year and will eventually comprise two thirds of the chain.
Dairygold already has a farming supply and small-scale DIY business via Co-op Superstores. The retailer has a EUR50 million (£33.6 million) share of the EUR500 million (£335.9 million) Irish DIY and homewares market. The market is growing at 15 per cent a year.
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