The story
Predecessor as Argos Retail Group (2000–2006)
GUS plc acquired Argos in April 1998, and combined it with its mail order business to form Argos Retail Group (ARG) in June 2000. It went on to acquire Homebase for £900 million in November 2002, bringing it into ARG.
In June 2005, GUS bought thirty three stores of Index, which were subsequently converted to the format of Argos.
Home Retail Group (2007–2016)
Argos Retail Group was renamed Home Retail Group, upon its demerger in July 2006 from GUS. Shares in Home Retail Group were traded on the London Stock Exchange as from 11 October 2006.
In October 2007, Home Retail Group bought twenty seven stores from Focus DIY, and converted them to the format of Homebase. In June 2011, the group bought the exclusive rights to the brand of Habitat, its brand designs and intellectual property in the United Kingdom and Ireland, along with three stores in London and its website.
In November 2015, the group rejected a £1 billion takeover proposal from the supermarket company Sainsbury's, which it revealed on 5 January 2016. On 18 January 2016, it was confirmed that Homebase would be sold to the Australian retailer Wesfarmers for £340 million, subject to shareholder approval. The sale was completed on 27 February 2016.
Takeover by Sainsbury's (2016)
Sainsbury's submitted a revised offer of £1.3 billion on 2 February 2016, with a deadline of 23 February to make a firm bid. Steinhoff International submitted a rival bid of £1.4 billion on 19 February. Steinhoff abandoned its bid on 18 March 2016, while Sainsbury's submitted a formal bid of £1.4 billion. On 1 April 2016, the company agreed to a takeover offer from Sainsbury's. The deal was completed on 2 September 2016.
From Wikipedia’s article on Home Retail Group, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.6