Many weekends – and particularly those with a Bank Holiday – begin with a trip to a DIY shop for thousands of homeowners but the country’s leading stores have now closed.
The Government has clearly advised that everyone should stay at home. Shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, must be as infrequent as possible.
Wickes, Screwfix, Homebase and B&Q are all classified as essential retailers. They are offering online ordering services and some have a reduced click and collect service.
While these shops offer a ‘next day’ delivery option, they have advised it may take longer than usual and the range of goods available will be reduced.
Here, OnTheMarket looks at the services available.
B&Q
All B&Q stores are closed and will remain so for the time being but customers can still order items online.
There is a click & collect service operating but the range is limited to ‘home repair and maintenance essentials’.
This includes plumbing, electricals, hardware, central heating and boiler parts, building supplies, tools, security and light bulbs.
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Customers can pick up the items they bought online contact-free from the car park of their local B&Q store.
Deliveries for online orders will be left by customers’ front doors and not taken inside a property.
Wickes
Wickes stores are closed but customers can still order online for home deliveries or a click & collect service.
Due to particularly high demand, Wickes said it was unlikely they could provide next day delivery ‘on most lines and locations’.
They added: “As these are particularly busy periods for us, availability may at times be limited so please bear with us.”
Click and collect orders may only be placed from 6am to 4pm Monday to Saturday, not on Sundays, and only for a more limited range.
Customers should only go to stores once they have received a text message or email confirming their order is ready for collection.
Homebase
Homebase stores are now closed and the company said it had to suspend its store collection service ‘due to unforeseen high demand’.
Home deliveries from online orders are still available.
Screwfix
Most Screwfix stores are open but only for ‘essential’ click & collect orders from 8am Monday to Saturday and 9am to 4pm on Sundays.
Customers can still order items online for home deliveries but Screwfix said these might be delayed and product ranges limited.
OnTheMarket has a dedicated page for coronavirus information and advice.
