Dunelm Mill, also known as Dunelm Group PLC, (LSE: DNLM) is a leading British-based home furnishings retailer. It is based on the Fosse Way in Syston in Leicestershire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
[edit] History
Dunelm was founded in 1979 in Leicester by Bill and Jean Adderley as a home textiles business.[1] The first shops were relatively small high street units covering a number of towns in the East Midlands, the first one branded as Dunelm opening in Churchgate, Leicester in 1984;[1] the first superstore opened in Rotherham in 1991.[1]
In 1996 Will Adderley took over full responsibility for the day to day running of the company from his father[1] and in 1999 the Company established a warehouse and its current head office in Syston in Leicester.[1]
In 2001 the Company acquired Bellbird with its custom-made curtain facility[1] and in 2002 it established a new central warehouse opened in Burton.[1] EPOS roll-out to all stores took place in 2003.[1]
The Company was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2006.[2]
In July 2008 the Company acquired the Dorma Brand for £5m.[3]
On 17 September 2009, Dunelm relaunched the online website. The redesign brought the website up to date with other major retailers in the sector.
[edit] Operations
Today's portfolio of 97 stores comprises mainly superstores, spread across the UK. The main focus is on home textiles - curtains, bed linen, bath linen, cushions, fabrics, quilts, rugs and soft kitchen furnishings - which account for the majority of sales. In addition, larger stores offer a wide range of other homewares products such as kitchenware, tableware, lighting, storage solutions, gifts and other seasonal products. Dunelm also offers customers a made-to-measure curtain service, which is run from Dunelm's central curtain making facility in Leicester.
The majority of Dunelm's stores are located out-of-town, offering free parking, with the most recently opened superstores trading from around 25,000 to 30,000 sq ft (2,800 m2), many including a coffee shop. In total, Dunelm currently trades from approximately 2,200,000 sq ft (204,000 m2) of selling space.
On 24th December 2009, Dunelm Mill opened their 100th store at Centrum Park in Cheltenham.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
