A County Durham Homebase store has been put up for sale amid financial difficulty for the big brand.

According to reports, the troubled DIY and garden chain was waiting on around £5 million of tax rebates before collapsing into administration last week.

It comes as the stricken firm has set a deadline of the end of next week for potential buyers to snap up its remaining shops in the UK and Ireland.

Homebase appointed administrators at consultancy Teneo after it was hit hard by an “incredibly challenging” three years for the DIY sector.

Administrators 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, the future of 2,000 other workers and its remaining stores was left hanging in the balance.

Administrators have now placed 74 leasehold Homebase stores on the market.

One of the stores on the list includes the Bishop Auckland one, while the Gateshead branch of Homebase is also on the list of 74.

They have set a deadline of November 29 for potential suitors to buy the remaining stores, amid efforts to secure more funds for creditors.

Homebase’s collapse came amid reports that banking giant Wells Fargo declined to extend the group’s lending facility due to concerns about its finances.

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.

Recommended reading: 

Get more content including the stories that matter to your community from The Northern Echo.

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.”

Locations of some of the properties placed on the market:

  • Alnwick, Northumberland
  • Berwick upon Tweed, Northumberland
  • Bishop Auckland, County Durham
  • Retail World, Gateshead
  • Tyne Valley Retail Park, Hexham