How Home Bargains is Boosting Network Security For UK Growth

UK retailer Home Bargains has entered into a partnership with managed network solutions provider Evolve Business Group to enhance the security and resilience of its in-store connectivity.

The collaboration will overhaul the network infrastructure for over 650 stores, supporting Home Bargains' major UK expansion plans and bolstering its cybersecurity posture for payment processing and operations.

Founded in Liverpool in 1976, Home Bargains operates a business model of "Top Brands Bottom Prices" and serves more than seven million customers weekly. Home Bargains has ambitious growth plans to expand its current footprint of 617 stores to as many as 1,000 locations across the UK.

According to reports in January 2025, pre-tax profits for Home Bargains increased 35% to £454.8m in the year to 30 June 2024, with annual sales rising 11.7% to £4.2bn. This growth necessitates a network infrastructure that is not only scalable but also secure. The partnership with Evolve provides this foundation, beginning with an initial rollout across 50 stores.

Consolidating network security and operations

A key element of the strategic partnership involves consolidating multiple legacy networks into a single managed solution. This move centralises critical functions such as payments and CCTV, providing a single point of contact for support and management.

By streamlining these systems, Evolve aims to reduce the administrative burden on Home Bargains while clarifying accountability for network performance.

The solution is monitored by Evolve's support desk, which could provide greater visibility into network health and reduce resolution times for any potential issues. This form of supplier rationalisation and integrated service delivery could ensure stronger service-level consistency across all store locations.

Adhering to PCI compliance and data protection

For a retailer of Home Bargains' scale, ensuring the security of payment data is paramount. The new infrastructure designed by Evolve addresses this through a long-standing Platinum partnership with hardware provider Mako Networks.

Evolve has established highly secure connections to payment data centres and gift card hosts which adhere to full Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance. This framework ensures that any third-party IT infrastructure involved meets stringent security standards for handling financial transactions.

The focus on compliance is a critical component of managing data security and regulatory requirements within a large supplier ecosystem, helping to protect both the business and its customers from data breaches.

Building resilience and automation into the network

The network is designed with a focus on maximising uptime, a crucial factor for business continuity and customer experience. Evolve implements diverse connections into each store with an automatic failover system to maintain connectivity if a primary line fails.

To maintain security and agility across the expanding store portfolio, firewall rules and configuration changes will be updated automatically. This enables new features or security patches to be rolled out instantly and consistently to all Home Bargains locations.

Tony Mullen, Head of IT Infrastructure and Services at Home Bargains, says: "Having started more than 40 years ago in Liverpool, our customers continue to be at the heart of everything we do. We now serve more than seven million people each week and plan to grow our portfolio to 1,000 stores throughout the UK, opening around 50 new stores a year. The partnership with Evolve has simplified our infrastructure and improved resilience, offering value without compromising on service and quality. These upgrades will support us and our customers as we continue to expand."

The partnership also ensures the network remains future-proof with technologies such as fibre-to-the-premise (FTTP) connectivity.

Alan Stephenson-Brown, CEO at Evolve Business Group, adds: "Home Bargains is a much-loved British brand that has remained true to its roots while achieving incredible growth. As another fast-growing North West business, we're proud to support that success with a secure, reliable and efficient network designed exactly to their needs. Whatever matters most to our customers, our team is dedicated to going the extra mile to deliver innovative technology and personalised support that enables them to grow with confidence."