... Nearest to us however is Focus and that is where we have chosen to spend the bulk of our ‘do the house up’ cash.
You can hardly fail to miss Focus if you are driving past with it’s garish Blue and Yellow corporate colour scheme, if I were you I would take the time to drop in and have a ... Read review
Advantages: Local to me, Easily accessible Disadvantages: Lack of stock consistency between stores
...Nearest to us however is Focus and that is where we have chosen to spend the bulk of our ‘do the house up’ cash.
You can hardly fail to miss Focus if you are driving past with it’s garish Blue and Yellow corporate colour scheme, if I were you I would take the time to drop in and have a look (should that be your kind of thing) as you may be pleasantly surprised. Focus is the third largest DIY retailer in the UK by market share and you ... ...DIY stores.
Focus was founded by a chap called Bill Archer in 1987 and has acquired in the mean time Do It All in 1998, Great Mills in 2000 and Wickes in 2000 which has recently been sold to Travis Perkins. Focus has a strategy of locating stored in market towns rather than the larger towns so that should mean that they are easily accessible and you don’t have to drive around an horrific one way system to get there.
Having moved into our first house a year ago we were struck with the inclination to do something to it. A house that looked good on the surface gradually transformed into some sort of monster that needed a lot of work to make it to our tastes. Coupled with the fact that the previous owner could have been a contestant on DIY SOS we decided that our home form home would be the local DIY shop. Living where we do we have quite good access to all the major chains. IKEA is 25 minutes away depending on traffic, Homebase is just up the motorway and B&Q is in the town. Nearest to us however is Focus and that is where we have chosen to spend the bulk of our ‘do the house up’ cash.
You can hardly fail to miss Focus if you are driving past with it’s garish Blue and Yellow corporate colour scheme, if I were you I would take the time to drop in and have a look (should that be your kind of thing) as you may be pleasantly surprised. Focus is the third largest DIY retailer in the UK by market share and you are able to find all the stuff you would expect to find at other DIY stores.
Focus was founded by a chap called Bill Archer in 1987 and has acquired in the mean time Do It All in 1998, Great Mills in 2000 and Wickes in 2000 which has recently been sold to Travis Perkins. Focus has a strategy of locating stored in market towns rather than the larger towns so that should mean that they are easily accessible and you don’t have to drive around an horrific one way system to get there.
So, what’s it actually like then I hear you ask. Well the store I use is fairly new, opening within the last 3 years (I can’t remember the actual date I’m not that sad) and therefore designed especially for the purpose which it now has…a DIY store. There are the normal things like trolleys at the front of the shop alongside tasters of what you might find inside. Generally at this time of year you will be fighting your way through a mound of patio furniture on special offer to get to the door (relax, the entrances and exits are clear in case of emergency!).
So, after I’ve walked past the trolleys I enter the store and am confronted by a DIYers heaven. I realise my mistake, return to the front of the store and fetch a trolley, there's so much stuff that I'm bound to need here! On the left you will find an array of laminate flooring, followed by paints and wallpapers, then some tiles and then the garden equipment and furniture. On the right you will find lighting, shower and bathroom fittings, plumbing essentials, kitchens, power tools, nails and screws etc followed by wood, for men to build stuff with. Out the back is a smallish garden centre type place with flowers, garden structures (sheds etc) and patio slabs. All in all I would have to say all the things one might require on a bank holiday! (This is how my local store is laid out, not all of them will be like this so please don't hold me responsible if you get lost by the lighting section and can't find your way out!)
I have been using Focus for a year now as my main DIY shop and have always found the to have what I needed. The ‘own brand’ products are well priced and do the job that they say they will. There are Focus Basics, or Focus own brand to choose from and both are competitive in terms of quality in the price range. Focus also stocks well known brands that you would expect them to have, such as Dulux and Crown Paints or Flymo and Black and Decker garden equipment. Obviously I can’t list everything here but you ought to be able to find the make you want. What I would advise however, is that if you are going to buy paint you should stick to the leading brands as with own label paints I have found them to be a bit on the thin side, needing more coats that others. You do save money on the pot, but need twice as much to do the same job, a problem I have found with most own label paints to be fair, not just Focus ones. Focus also has deals on a variety of products, in the past we have enjoyed their 3 for the price of 2 on Dulux paint. 25% off introductory offers and 3 for £20 on log roll for the garden. There is always a bargain to be had if you go at the right time.
We recently bought Jeff Banks tiles for the kitchen and were pleasantly surprised at the cost of them, including the add on equipment. Our bill in total was about £50 less than we had budgeted for. Ace! When we got home and completed the tiling we realised that we had bought too many boxes. These were returned the next day and a full refund given, no questions asked.
The only problem I can see with Focus is that they don’t have the same stock form store to store, I went in the Shrewsbury store to buy my tiles but couldn’t find them there. When I asked an assistant confirmed that they didn’t stock that range, but did ring my local store to double check they had them there. A service I didn’t ask for but was pleased to receive. Similarly if your local store doesn’t have an item you want they will find one from another store for you and get it transferred to their own store for you to buy.
What really makes us return to Focus time and time again is the fact that they offer a Homemovers card which gives you 10% off everything in store, including promotional items. All you have to do is present confirmation of your moving date within 6 months of moving house (we used a solicitors letter) and they will issue you with a card that gives you said discount that lasts for a period of 6 months. The lady that issued ours however issued it for a year so we were doubly lucky!
All in all I would say that Focus is certainly up there with the big boys when it comes to DIY retailers. Everything you could want for that minor DIY job, and even some stuff you never thought you would need at competitive prices with an extra 10% off. We do still make that trip to B&Q, but not that regularly now, and only when we get a voucher from Shell PlusPoints.
4 out of 5 stars from me due to lack of consistency in stock between stores but an otherwise excellent store.
Advantages: Diversification successfully abounds. Disadvantages: Go for a shelf and come out with a rabbit.
Let us imagine a wet and miserable afternoon. A visit to the Garden Centre was not a viable option nor was gardening in our little patch, come to that. A case of miserable lethargy set in. It looked as though HE would have to do THAT job which had awaited doing for some time. HE couldn’t find the nails we had bought. Did I want to go and get some more with him? Wow! Hold me back guys. However I was persuaded that the fresh air would do me good. ... ...very large drops of wetness and we decided to go no further than our local DIY store. Surprise, surprise, one can now visit another dimension when buying a nail! It is a quite magical world. Oh yes the entrance looks pretty much the same but once through those great glazed doors another world awaits. We only dropped by to get some nails……….
Which way to go? We came for nails so it will be straight ahead with a small store basket ...
polarbear 14.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Focus Do It All (Shop)
Advantages: cheap and cheerful, easy to erect Disadvantages: costly delivery charge
I've been looking for a cheap and cheerful garden shed costing under £100.00 for the past year and have at last taken delivery today of this much sought after item from the Do It All D.I.Y chain.
It's a very basic six foot by four foot creation with a felt roof, panoramic window and nice little diamond shaped decoration on the front, perfect for the mower ,deck chairs,tools etc.
The exact same item is available in most of the D.I.Y chains Homebase ... ...less than the next best price of their rivals .
Now is probably time to purchase a shed , garden equipment usually sells for less out of season.
Unless you have a very large car home delivery is a necessary evil and I was not impressed with the £25.00 home delivery charge at Do It All ,I only live 12 miles from the store.Having said this their delivery costs are on a par with Homebase, B&Q etc so the shed was still considerably cheaper.I also ordered ...
janehammill 16.03.2001 (03.03.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Focus Do It All (Shop)
Advantages: Friendly Staff, Wide Range of Products Disadvantages: Can be expensive
...sort trip to our local Focus Do It All was in order, and their staff were very helpful in recommending a type of hutch, food for the babies, even having to seperate the parents and generally more information than we ever expected from their staff.
They have a wide range of foods on offer for the Rabbits, and we now go their for our kittens needs also.
At the weekend, we made some home security improvements (primarily to stop next doors little kids ... ...very impressive and comprehensive, if a little bit pricey. But their staff knowledge and expertise was very helpful to us.
We will continue using Focus Do It All, as they have everything we need for the home under one roof, and we are always served by friendly knowledgable staff. ...
garycallard 04.10.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Focus Do It All (Shop)
Advantages: Friendly Staff Disadvantages: Orders not prioritized
...I then visited my local Focus DIY store where to my surprise I found the same tiles for a fraction of the price. The only thing was they were out of stock.
I enquired about when they would be receiving some more tiles, the staff checked the computer and told me that they should be receiving some that Friday, although they did point out that even if the computer has allocated their stock they may not get it, I came back on Friday to find that no ... ...went back to my local Focus for something else to find the shelves full of the tiles I had wanted.
Overall I find the Focus stores to be well stocked but I think if you order something and pay for it in full, that item should be a priority for the next available delivery. We live in a world where technology is a great asset to companies and I think Focus should capitalize on getting their computer systems to prioritise orders that had been paid ...
bagpuss1980 07.06.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Focus Do It All (Shop)
Advantages: offers Disadvantages: offers ell out quickly
Do it all, or Focus, which is the other name it trades under is a large DIY centre. My local one is at High Wycombe, but does it Do It All??? No. It does do quite a lot but there are occassions when it fails to stock it's offers.
These offers can be good value, and I assume that they are loss leaders to entice you into the store, and when there you just may buy other items aswell, making them a handsome profit. However, as I say, the offers seem ... ...tend to use the other stores such as B & Q warehouse, which in general is much larger and much cheaper!
In my opinion it is similar to the offers at makro, if you manage to find it in stock at the offer price you have a bargain, but if not, you may aswell shop elsewhere.
Staff are not as helpful or as knowledgable as B & Q either, if you ask a DIY question, it is rarely answered to satisfaction. Perhaps my DIY skills are better than the staff!
...
willsmj 19.04.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Focus Do It All (Shop)
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Advantages: Loyalty card ,useful for frequent shoppers , quality goods. Disadvantages: Lack of choice , more expensive than competitors
I live in quite a large town . I am therefore lucky enough to have a variety of DIY stores to choose from , eg. Homebase , B & Q , Wickes , FocusDoItAll etc. , so I tend to shop around for things.
If you go by their TV ads , Homebase will be the only place to go ( providing you have enough hours in the day ! ).
Experience however , tells you differently.
I tend to find them expensive , even when doing those 10% off days . Additionally , their range of goods could also be improved upon . This said though certain areas such as housewares , window blinds etc. , are far better than say B & Q , and they do offer a worktop cutting service instore which is very unusual .
Being a keen gardener , I often check out their garden centre . Prices on plants etc are again expensive , but you do pay for a quality product , so it's swings ...
CaptainKidd 07.08.2001
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