Homebase's outlet at Telford, Shropshire, will be the first of the DIY chain's stores to benefit from improved signage, fixturing and clearer navigation, which are being introduced at the end of August.
According to design and project management company Zebra, which is overseeing the scheme, the new look is the result of an evolution in store layouts and will bring together a range of initiatives being trialled around the country.
Homebase head of strategy and business development Bozena Birt said: 'Driving what we are doing is a desire from a customer point of view to make the stores more coherent, easier to understand and easier to shop, and, from an operational point of view, to make the space work harder for us.'
The Telford store will have a rectangular layout with two entry and exit points. Homebase and Zebra concluded that the Mi Home zones, introduced last year into a number of stores, were not flowing effectively enough within the broader environment.
Birt said: 'We are committed to the Mi Home concept, but I think we pitched the fixturing at the wrong level compared with the main store. It raised some confusion with customers over our proposition as a DIY and decorating retailer.'
At Telford, customers will see partial implementation of the consolidated designs, including unstaffed information pods with a buzzer to call a member of staff. Product will be arranged in a logical order, according to Zebra.
A store at Banbury, Oxfordshire, will open this autumn, featuring full implementation of the evolved ideas. It will have higher fixturing, aimed at raising stock densities, and the current cream units will be changed to a 'more contemporary' steel grey.
The store exterior will also change, with a larger logo to create a more obvious 'street shout,' said a Zebra spokesman.
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