James Parkin (Jim) and Muriel Parkin took on Homeplan in August 1996. Jim was originally from Crook and has several degrees in various fields, he has been a Professor at several universities, including the University of Dara Salaam in Tanzania. Muriel (nee Crawford), is from Newton Aycliffe and worked locally before going with Jim on their adventure that would take them to Scotland, amongst other places. They have a son and daughter, but they have built successful careers away from the shop. Jim used to call into the shop on his visits back to the UK for all his DIY gear, some of which went back abroad with him. The story of the couple buying Homeplan goes: Jim came into the shop to buy a box of screws but left with the shop. From there they have built it up to the shop that it is today. Steve, a joiner by trade, left taxi driving to start at Homeplan in 2000. He then went on to be the manager when the then manager, Peter Allen, left in 2003/4. It was at that point that Chris started, after leaving The Big Club, where he had worked since about 15 years old. Steve and Chris officially took over as the owners of Homeplan DIY on the 1st February 2019. They would like to say a big thank you to Jim and Muriel and wish them all the best for the future and look forward to seeing old and new customers alike.
