INDEX / DIRECTORY / HOMEBASE / ECONOMIC

Homebase ECONOMIC

ECONOMIC AUDIT UPDATED 2026-08-28
Economic Score 1.24 /10 E Homebase - BDS-1000 107
Economic 1.24

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Economic Audit: Homebase

Supply Chain & Sourcing Relationships

Homebase is a UK/Ireland-only home-improvement, DIY and garden-centre retailer, and no evidence was identified of direct produce or agribusiness supplier relationships (e.g., with Israeli exporters such as Mehadrin, Hadiklaim, Galilee Export, or Agrexco successor entities). No public evidence identified. Likewise, no importer-of-record structure for Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) or Israel-origin goods was found, and no seasonal (December–April counter-seasonal produce) sourcing pattern applies, since fresh produce is not a Homebase product category. No public evidence identified.

Indirect sourcing of Israeli-manufactured goods through branded third-party suppliers is, however, confirmed. Homebase’s own e-commerce platform, as fetched on 2026-07-11, lists numerous Keter-brand garden storage sheds, storage boxes, and outdoor furniture products for sale1. Keter Group is an Israeli-founded manufacturer (established 1948 in Jaffa) headquartered in Herzliya, Israel23. A boycott-campaign source states explicitly that “Keter products are also sold under the Black & Decker, B&Q and Homebase brands”4. Homebase also currently sells SodaStream carbonation products, including a “SodaStream Art Sparkling Water Maker and Pepsi Flavour” unit listed at £76.99 as of the 2026-07-11 fetch5. SodaStream is an Israeli-founded company with current production sites in Ashkelon and Idan Negev (Lehavim), Israel, and has been owned by PepsiCo since its December 2018 acquisition completion6789. Homebase additionally stocks Levington-brand growing media and compost products10; Levington is a brand of ICL Group Ltd. (formerly Israel Chemicals Ltd.), an Israeli-domiciled chemicals and fertilizer company11.

The corporate and financial histories of these Israeli-linked suppliers show substantial capital-market activity independent of Homebase. Keter was majority-sold in a $1.7 billion transaction in July 2016, with BC Partners and PSP Investments acquiring the company from Israel’s Sagol family1213. Keter was reported back on the market with a €1.2 billion asking price in 202314, following a failed IPO and a round of approximately 100 layoffs in 202215; Israel’s Histadrut Leumit labor federation separately called on BC Partners to “bring Keter’s production back to Israel”16. Keter’s current ownership group also acquired the Curver houseware brand in 200517. SodaStream’s Israeli operations include announced investment of NIS 90 million to expand its Negev factory8, a renewable-energy supply agreement with Enlight18, and hundreds of new hires in southern Israel reported by the Times of Israel9.

Product Origin, Labeling & Regulatory Compliance

No public evidence identified of settlement-origin fresh-produce mislabelling (“Produce of Israel”) involving Homebase, which does not sell fresh produce. A historical, non-current finding concerns Keter: Who Profits documented Keter trucks at a factory operated by Keter’s wholly-owned subsidiary Lipski in the Barkan Industrial Zone, a West Bank settlement, as of a March 2014 field visit, with a subsequent November 2016 field visit finding no further activity, indicating the Barkan operation had ceased by that point319. A CJPME factsheet on the Keter boycott campaign likewise references this settlement-linked production history20. This settlement-linked Barkan production occurred during a period in which a boycott-campaign source identifies Homebase as a retail channel for Keter-brand products, though no source in this record specifies exact date ranges for when Homebase began or ceased stocking any specific Keter SKU relative to the Barkan facility’s operation4. Separately, SodaStream’s own West Bank manufacturing presence (at its former Mishor Adumim facility) was the subject of a boycott campaign that Electronic Intifada characterized as prompting SodaStream’s retreat from the West Bank21, and NGOs protested against UK retailer John Lewis Partnership in 2014 for selling SodaStream products amid boycott concerns over alleged settlement ties, illustrating that SodaStream-stocking UK retailers generally have drawn similar scrutiny22.

No public evidence identified of any DEFRA or UK customs labeling-compliance enforcement action taken against Homebase specifically. Homebase’s own Corporate Governance Statement, dated 7 June 2021 and hosted on its corporate website, contains no reference to Israel, occupied territories, settlements, or Middle East country-of-origin labeling policy23.

Investment, Capital & Financial Exposure

No public evidence identified of direct foreign direct investment by Homebase in Israel or the OPT, and No public evidence identified of any Homebase-linked research and development or innovation centre located in Israel.

Regarding parent and beneficial-ownership exposure, Homebase’s most recent private-equity/turnaround owner prior to its 2024 administration was Hilco Capital, operating as HHGL Limited, which acquired Homebase from Wesfarmers for a nominal £1 in May 20182425. Hilco Global’s founder and CEO, Jeffrey B. Hecktman, is publicly described in company leadership materials as a supporter of “Impact Israel” (formerly Yemin Orde), an Israel-based youth education charity, which is characterized as philanthropic activity rather than a corporate investment or operational tie26. No evidence was identified of direct Hilco corporate investment, subsidiary, or portfolio holding in Israel. Homebase’s current brand owner, CDS Superstores International Limited, is controlled by sole director Chris Dawson, whose shareholding was transferred to his wife Sarah Dawson, a Jersey tax resident, in April 201927. No public evidence identified of Israel-related investments by Chris Dawson, Sarah Dawson, or CDS Superstores. No public evidence identified of portfolio or investment-fund exposure by any Homebase parent entity to Israeli companies. A cross-check of the 2024 “Don’t Buy Into Occupation” coalition report on European financial institutions financing companies linked to arming Israel found that the report references SodaStream and Keter as export/settlement-linked companies in its secondary summaries, but its scope is limited to financial-institution financing and it does not name Homebase as a retailer28.

Operational Presence & Market Activity

Homebase’s operations are confined to the United Kingdom and Ireland, and No public evidence identified of any physical footprint, store, warehouse, or office in Israel or the OPT2924. No public evidence identified of Homebase employment or tax registration in Israel, which is not applicable to a UK/Ireland-only bricks-and-mortar retailer. No public evidence identified of any market-positioning statement by Homebase referencing Israel.

Corporate Structure & Foundational Ties

Homebase was created as a joint venture between J Sainsbury plc (75%) and Belgian retail group GB-Inno-BM (25%) in October 1979, with its first store opening in Croydon on 3 March 1981; the company was not founded in Israel2930. Two current UK Companies House filings correspond to Homebase corporate entities: HOMEBASE LIMITED (company number 16777483)31 and HOMEBASE GROUP LIMITED (company number 04071533)32.

Homebase’s ownership passed through several UK- and internationally-linked structures: from the Sainsbury’s/GB-Inno-BM joint venture, through a later Permira/GUS-linked Home Retail Group era, to acquisition by Australia’s Wesfarmers Limited in 2016, which announced its agreement to divest Homebase in May 201824; Wesfarmers subsequently sold Homebase for £1 to Hilco Capital, at which point the business became HHGL Limited2533. Homebase (as HHGL Limited/Hampden Group Limited) entered administration in November 2024, with its brand, intellectual property, and up to 70 stores acquired by CDS Superstores - the Plymouth, UK-based owner of The Range and Wilko - while remaining stores were sold to competitors including B&Q and Wickes or closed, with final legacy Homebase stores closed by March 202534353637. Homebase has never held a dual or legacy headquarters in Israel at any point in its corporate history2934.

No public evidence identified of Israeli state ownership stakes, Israeli government board appointees, or Israeli government contracts involving Homebase, at any point in its corporate history. No public evidence identified of structural governance features tying Homebase to Israeli state or policy objectives. A cross-check of the OHCHR Business & Human Rights settlement-related database did not surface Homebase as a listed entity38; similarly, the Who Profits company database contains no dedicated “Homebase” entry, though it hosts a profile for “Keter Plastic (Keter Group)” that was reviewed directly for supply-chain purposes319.

Profit Repatriation & Economic Contribution

No public evidence identified of revenue attribution to Israel by Homebase, which does not operate in Israel and for which this category is not applicable. Regarding profit-flow direction, Homebase (under Hilco ownership between 2018 and 2024) was documented as having paid approximately £25 million in dividends to its Hilco (US-linked) parent structure despite having received £10.6 million in UK Covid-19 support - a UK-to-US(Hilco Global)-directed profit flow, with no Israel dimension identified in that reporting33. No public evidence identified of any Homebase role in the Israeli economic ecosystem, as the company holds no Israel operations, revenue, or workforce.

Footnotes

  1. https://www.homebase.co.uk/en-uk/brands/garden-outdoor-brands/keter/c/h3062 ↩

  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keter_Group ↩

  3. https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/company/4060 ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  4. https://boycottisraeltoday.wordpress.com/boycott-israel/ ↩ ↩2

  5. https://www.homebase.co.uk/search?text=sodastream ↩

  6. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pepsico-enters-into-agreement-to-acquire-sodastream-international-ltd-300699226.html ↩

  7. https://www.bevnet.com/news/2018/pepsico-acquires-sodastream-3-2-billion/ ↩

  8. https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-sodastream-to-invest-nis-90m-in-new-negev-factory-1001250811 ↩ ↩2

  9. https://www.timesofisrael.com/sodastream-hires-hundreds-of-new-employees-in-southern-israel/ ↩ ↩2

  10. https://www.homebase.co.uk/en-uk/brands/garden-outdoor-brands/levington/c/h3069 ↩

  11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICL_Group_Ltd. ↩

  12. https://www.jta.org/2016/07/21/israel/israeli-plastics-firm-keter-sells-most-of-company-in-1-7-billion-deal ↩

  13. https://www.investpsp.com/en/news/bc-partners-and-psp-investments-to-acquire-keter-group-from-the-sagol-family/ ↩

  14. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/b1ogqgefn ↩

  15. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/xn5ev4f9m ↩

  16. https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-723251 ↩

  17. https://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20050117/NEWS/301179964/keter-owners-acquire-curver/ ↩

  18. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sodastream-and-enlight-sign-agreement-for-the-supply-of-renewable-energy-301890656.html ↩

  19. https://www.whoprofits.org/publications/report/133 ↩ ↩2

  20. https://www.cjpme.org/fs_249 ↩

  21. https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/boycotters-declare-victory-sodastream-retreats-west-bank ↩

  22. https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/israel-palestine-ngos-protest-against-john-lewis-partnership-for-selling-sodastream-amid-boycott-over-alleges-ties-with-israeli-settlements-includes-company-comments/ ↩

  23. https://s1.thcdn.com/design-assets/documents/homebase/Homebase%20Corporate%20Governance%20Statement.pdf ↩

  24. https://www.wesfarmers.com.au/util/news-media/article/2018/05/25/agreement-to-divest-homebase ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  25. https://www.kbbreview.com/16026/news/wesfarmers-offloads-homebase-for-1/ ↩ ↩2

  26. https://hilcoglobal.com/leadership/jeffrey-b-hecktman/ ↩

  27. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Dawson_(businessman) ↩

  28. https://dontbuyintooccupation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/2024_DBIO-IV-report.pdf ↩

  29. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homebase ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  30. https://www.sainsburyarchive.org.uk/story/stories/the-story-of-homebase ↩

  31. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/16777483 ↩

  32. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/04071533 ↩

  33. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/retail-and-services/hilco-took-25m-in-dividends-from-homebase-despite-10-6m-in-uk-covid-aid-1.4775557 ↩ ↩2

  34. https://www.theretailbulletin.com/general-merchandise/cds-superstores-acquires-homebase-brand-and-70-stores-as-the-diy-retailer-collapses-into-administration-13-11-2024/ ↩ ↩2

  35. https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2024/11/the-range-homebase/ ↩

  36. https://www.kbbreview.com/68102/news/wilko-and-the-range-owner-saves-70-homebase-stores/ ↩

  37. https://www.retail-week.com/home-and-diy/the-range-owner-completes-acquisition-of-homebase/7047538.article ↩

  38. https://www.ohchr.org/en/business/bhr-database ↩