He has had an extremely successful career in finance and brings to Homebuy considerable experience and expertise at a time when we are positioned to expand our credit finance model to a wider customer audience.
Michael Riding, Chairman, Homebuy

Homebuy Group, one of the United Kingdom's largest furniture, appliance and electronics rental companies, named Tom Bartlam Non-Executive Deputy Chairman.

Bartlam co-founded Intermediate Capital Group Plc ('ICG') in 1989 and was its Managing Director until his retirement in April 2005. ICG has grown to become one of the leading independent mezzanine finance investors in Europe with a market value of £850 million. He remains on the board of ICG as a non-executive director.

Bartlam worked for 15 years from 1974 at Charterhouse, a London based investment banking group, where he was a director specializing in corporate finance advisory work and private equity investment. He is also chairman of Pantheon International Participations PLC, an investment trust which specializes in investing in private equity funds globally, and a non-executive director of Numis Corporation Plc, a London-based independent stockbroking and investment banking group.

Homebuy Chairman Michael Riding said: 'We are delighted to have further strengthened our board with Tom's appointment. He has had an extremely successful career in finance and brings to Homebuy considerable experience and expertise at a time when we are positioned to expand our credit finance model to a wider customer audience.'

The company announced earlier this month that overall group sales, including its direct home sales, show continuing strong growth, with results for the year ended 16 April 2006 due by mid July.