Wesfarmers, the parent group which now owns Homebase, has confirmed that long-standing Bunnings chief executive officer John Gillam will leave his role after 12 years.

Mr Gillam will reportedly continue to support the Bunnings business in an advisory role. He has worked for Wesfarmers for almost 20 years and will continue to chair the Bunnings Group Council, which was set up around the time of the Homebase acquisition. He will also join the Bunnings UK and Ireland advisory board.

It means that Bunnings UK and Ireland md PJ Davis and Australia and New Zealand md Mike Schneider now report directly to Wesfarmers managing director Richard Goyder.

Mr Goyder said, "John has worked in our Business Development team, been Chief Financial Officer of Bunnings, Company Secretary of the Wesfarmers Group and Managing Director of CSBP, before taking over as leader of Bunnings in 2004. He was also Chairman of Officeworks for eight years,” Mr Goyder said.

“In every role he has been outstanding and left an indelible and positive legacy. His performance at the helm of Bunnings has seen him now recognised as one of Australia’s leading retailers and Bunnings is now a national institution. The recent acquisition of Homebase in the UK and Ireland has provided our company with a new platform for long-term future growth.

“Today’s announcement demonstrates our strong talent development and succession planning. Before we acquired Homebase we spent many months bedding down a new Bunnings management structure. That structure, which has now been in place for almost a year, is serving the business well and we look forward to John’s ongoing contribution in his new more flexible advisory role.”

Mr Gillam added, "I firmly believe that now is the right time to pass on the leadership baton. Mike and PJ have been outstanding leaders in helping drive the growth and success of Bunnings and are well placed to take the business forward. I look forward to continuing to support the Bunnings team in an advisory capacity, while also having the opportunity in the coming years to pursue other interests.”