Once associated with cut-price savings and selling mountains of stuff you don’t actually need, B&M has become an unlikely haven for middle-class mothers in pursuit of a bargain.
These days, the chain counts the likes of Molly-Mae Hague, Coleen Rooney and even Carrie Johnson – wife of former Prime Minister Boris – among its well-heeled fans.
In their wake is a whole host of middle-class ‘mumfluencers’, who are now supplementing their bougie food hauls from M&S and Waitrose with a snoop around the halls of B&M Bargains.
Unlike its more expensive competitors, B&M stores – of which there are more than 700 in the UK – don’t offer mums a café for a pastry and coffee, have no shop windows for browsing, don’t subscribe to a loyalty scheme and have a next-to-zero advertising budget.
‘All these extra bells and whistles, they go into the cost,’ said former CEO Simon Arora, discussing the key to its success with the BBC. ‘We keep things simple and honest.’
This week, B&M proved it had found an unlikely follower in the form of Carrie Johnson, who welcomed her fourth child, a daughter called Poppy, with the ex-PM earlier this month.
The couple were spotted heading out to B&M with their newborn baby Poppy for the first time, in pictures published by The Sun. Afterwards, Carrie wrote on Instagram: ‘Introducing Pops to our favourite shop.’
Other mumfluencers, such as Bristol-based content creator Daisy @muddlethroughmummy, have followed suit in making B&M hauls a staple part of their content.
Is B&M turning posh? Fans include the likes of Molly-Mae Hague (pictured), who has partnered with them for ads and filmed herself shopping there
This week, B&M proved it had found an unlikely follower in the form of Carrie Johnson
Daisy, who is currently renovating a house, has shared numerous shopping hauls in recent months, even taking her viewers along with her as she browses the store.
‘Come shopping with me!’ she said, in one video and stocked her trolley full of groceries and essentials. In another, she said: ‘I’ve got a little B&M haul. Let me show you what I’ve got.’
As she emptied her shopping bag, Daisy, 35, unveiled her ‘eclectic’ set of goods, which included notebooks, a decorating set, a water bottle, sweets and a Minecraft-alarm clock for her son’s birthday.
On Mother’s Day, she even shared a range of gift inspiration from the store and took her boys along to pick cereal for the weekend, saying ‘we love this tradition as a family’.
‘I went in for tea bags and came out with quite a bit more, but isn’t that always the way at B&M! Went in for one thing… spent £60,’ she said in another video, giving a shopping haul from her car.
Daisy’s not the only one to have been drawn in by the brightly lit stores, led by the excitement of cheap deals, wacky food offerings and an almost unlimited selection of cleaning products is proving hard to resist by the new audience.
Former CEO Simon thinks the ‘constant newness’ of B&M is what keeps shoppers returning, saying more than 200 new products arrive in store every single week.
He added, per the BBC, that regular visits are maintained as shoppers love a ‘treasure’ hunt as they see what’s new and snap up the best deals.
Other mumfluencers, such as Bristol-based content creator Daisy @muddlethroughmummy, have followed suit in making B&M hauls a staple part of their content
Darcie Ratcliff, who is expecting her first child and lives near Chelmsford in Essex, said in a TikTok video that she enjoys going to B&M for ‘one reason and one reason only’
As such, the firm saw a whopping turnover of £5.6million last year.
Sarah, another mumfluencer who posts under the username @motheringhappily0, recently filmed a video where she took her baby just to have a ‘mooch’ around B&M.
‘We’re going to take my baby, we’re going to have a mooch around the shops,’ she told her followers. ‘I’m going to go to B&M Bargains.’
Filming a selection of toys, including a teddy bear picnic basket and high chair spinning toy, she noted: ‘Highly recommend, good price!’
Others, who would usually shop in more traditionally ‘upmarket’ outlets, also admit they occasionally turn to B&M just to see what’s new.
Darcie Ratcliff, who is expecting her first child and lives near Chelmsford in Essex, said in a TikTok video that she enjoys going to B&M for ‘one reason and one reason only, and that is for all the new sweets that I find’.
Darcie, who showcases her love of baking through her content, and shops at M&S and Waitrose, said: ‘I don’t know about you but I like going to B&M for all the random sweets and chocolate.’
Filming what she found on the shelves, Darcie grew excited at a whole range of Haribo sweets she’d ‘never seen before’, as well as novelty flavours of Sour Patch Kids and Lion Bars.
Influencers have been showing off their B&M hauls and marvelling at what they’ve found. Pictured is Daisy (@muddlethroughmummy)
Darcie said she likes paying a visit to B&M to see their range of chocolate and sweets
Love Island star Molly-Mae filmed her bargain finds in B&M, and later showed off her shopping haul
She also spruced up the entrance to her mansion in Cheshire with a £7.99 find from the retail store
The store’s journey from bargain to bougie seemed to reach completion in 2022, when Love Island star Molly Mae Hague paid a visit with her boyfriend, boxer Tommy Fury.
Panning the camera to her boyfriend, Molly-Mae told her fans: ‘I think Tommy’s enjoying our little trip to Home Bargains.’
Tommy, brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, remarked: ‘Let me tell you, B&M Bargains, I’ve never seen anything like it.
‘These drinks that you get in the gym, they’re here and they’re 89p. Like, hold on, stop what you’re doing and process that for a second!’
Molly, then reported to earn £400,000 a month in her role at PLT, was heard giggling, before turning to her trolley saying: ‘We’ve really stocked up, guys. Honestly, B&M trips are the one.’
Captioning her shopping video, she wrote: ‘He’s absolutely fascinated’.
Later, Molly-Mae even partnered with B&M for a lengthy advertisement on her Instagram stories as she showed off her favourite bargains.
She also spruced up the entrance to her mansion in Cheshire with a £7.99 find from the retail store, a Harry Potter themed doormat that read ‘welcome to Hogwarts’.
Bargain hunter: Panning the camera to her boyfriend, Molly-Mae told her fans: ‘I think Tommy’s enjoying our little trip to Home Bargains’
Stunned: Tommy said: ‘These drinks that you get in the gym, they’re here and they’re 89p. Like, hold on, stop what you’re doing and process that for a second!’
Stocking up: The video shared to Molly-Mae’s Instagram saw the couple head to Home Bargains/B&M where she filmed their trolley filled up with bargain energy drinks and other household goods
‘Another day of trying to be a grown up home owner and failing,’ she wrote. And she added: ‘It’s from B&M.’ She asked: ‘Is this the best £7.99 I’ve ever spent? Yes, yes it is.’
The crossover, however, ended badly as Molly’s visit to the store in person accidentally sparked a ‘classism’ row on social media.
Their shopping trip sparked a strong reaction from some on Twitter, with one writing: ‘So weeks after being called out for her classist remarks [her 24 hours in a day video], Molly-Mae’s first IG story that isn’t just a photograph is a clip of her and Tommy in Home Bargains/B&M being utterly shocked at the low prices.
‘Does she not have a PR team to advise her against s*** like this?’
Another commented: ‘Not Tommy and Molly Mae discovering home bargains.’
During her appearance on I’m A Celebrity: Get Me Out Of Here! last year, Coleen Rooney revealed she often pays a visit to the bargain store.
Speaking about being recognised by fans, she told her fellow campmates: ‘I get that, in B&M or Home Bargains, they’ll be like, “Why are you shopping in here?”‘
Coleen revealed that her footballer husband Wayne had been asked for a photo while using the urinal, adding that she thinks there are places where fans should leave celebs alone.
Coleen Rooney (pictured in 2023) admitted she is often spotted by fans while out shopping
She said: ‘I know that that’s happened to Wayne before in the past, he said whilst he’s been standing there having a wee someone’s said, “Can we get a photograph?” or “Can I shake your hand?” I think there’s places where it’s a no-go.’
Earlier this month, shoppers rushed to B&M to get their hands on a ‘rare’ Australian chocolate bar that has recently been made available in the UK.
The budget retailer is now stocking varieties of Cadbury’s Marvellous Creations which is normally only found Down Under.
The chocolate bar has been spied by customers in two flavours; dream raspberry and cola fizz.
And in January, a £3 storage hack from B&M went viral on social media, with shoppers raving about the budget-friendly store’s affordable containers.
