OFT announcement

Home Retail Group Plc
16 April 2008


16 April 2008


                             Home Retail Group plc
      OFT announcement regarding the purchased Focus DIY store properties

Home Retail Group plc, the UK's leading home and general merchandise retailer,
notes yesterday's announcement by the OFT that the acquisition of the 27
purchased Focus DIY stores will not be referred to the Competition Commission,
subject to a satisfactory undertaking being delivered with regard to one store.
The undertaking requires Home Retail Group to divest either the existing
Homebase store or the purchased Focus store in the catchment where the OFT had
competition concerns at a local level.

As previously announced, the planned net increase in stores was to be 22, as
there were to be five relocations of existing Homebase stores to newly acquired
Focus properties. With the outcome of today's OFT announcement affecting one
store, the net increase in stores will now be 21. Aside from the potential
impact related to this one store and the timing impact caused by the delay in
being able to integrate the remaining acquired stores, no further material
change is anticipated to any of the previously announced financial projections
of the transaction.

Enquiries

Analysts and investors (Home Retail Group)

Richard Ashton                 Finance Director                   01908 600 291
Stuart Ford                    Head of Investor Relations

Media (Finsbury)
Rollo Head                                                        020 7251 3801




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