In a major shake-up for the UK retail landscape, Homebase is set to undergo a transformation after being rescued from administration by CDS Superstores, the company behind The Range and Wilko, it emerged today.
Around 70 of the DIY chain’s stores will be reborn as The Range Superstores, with the first revamped branches opening their doors in Pollokshaws, Glasgow, Christchurch, Bournemouth, and Kings Heath, Birmingham, on January 17 at 9am.
This marks the beginning of an ambitious rollout plan that could see up to 10 new superstores launching each month over the next year.
The new-look stores will not only feature “Garden Centres by Homebase” but some will also boast “Kitchens by Homebase”, ensuring the Homebase name lives on within these revamped locations. CDS has set a target to rebrand 70 Homebase sites by the end of 2025, a move that is expected to secure approximately 1,600 jobs.
Alex Simpkin, group chief executive at CDS, has pledged to retain the essence of Homebase’s legacy while expanding the product offerings to meet customer expectations associated with The Range. He commented: “While those Homebase stores acquired by CDS will continue to trade as they are during the transition period, we’re focused on ensuring a seamless transfer of these locations into our new store format.”
The company is also investing in the Homebase brand with a relaunch of www.homebase.co.uk. CDS has confirmed that the Homebase brand will continue to trade online, following the announcement that six of its sites, including those in Sutton Coldfield, Bromsgrove, Cromer, Fareham, Newark and Rugby, are set to close before the year ends.
Three more Homebase locations in Derry, Inverurie, and Omagh, along with a branch in Glenrothes near Fife, are also due to shut in the coming months. At the time it entered administration, Homebase operated 141 stores, which included the 10 stores acquired by Sainsbury’s prior to Homebase’s collapse.
Once all stores are closed, Sainsbury’s plans to convert the units into new supermarkets. Hilco Capital, the owner of Homebase, put the company up for sale in July.
The restructuring firm, which bought Homebase from Wesfarmers in 2018 for £1, initiated the formal sale process after being approached by The Range. An analysis by The Sun suggested that only 57 stores were not put up for sale and could have potentially been included in CDS’ rescue plan.
However, the exact number of stores saved by CDS remains unknown. Locations of the 74 properties placed on the market in November include
Locations of the 74 properties placed on the market in November:
-Abingdon, Oxfordshire
-Alnwick, Northumberland
-Altrincham Retail Park, Manchester
-Junction One Retail Park, Antrim, Northern Ireland
-Barnstaple, Devon
-Basildon, Essex
-Basingstoke, Hampshire
-Shane Park, Belfast
-Berwick upon Tweed, Northumberland
-Biggleswade, Bedfordshire
-Battery Retail Park, Birmingham
-Bishop Auckland, County Durham
-Bracknell, Berkshire
-Enterprise Five Retail Park, Bradford
-Branksome, Poole
-Bridgend Retail Park, Bridgend, Wales
-Broadstairs, Kent
-Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk
-The Orbital Retail Centre, Cannock, Staffordshire
-Horsted Retail Park, Chatham, Kent
-Cheltenham
-Greyhound Retail Park, Chester
-Discovery Park, Chichester
-Colchester Stanway, Colchester
-Gallagher Retail Park, Coventry
-Rushmore Retail Park, Craigavon
– Daventry, Northamptonshire
-Wyvern Retail Park, Derby
-Dumfries, Scotland
-Halbeath Retail Park, Dunfermline, Scotland
-Farnham Retail Park, Farnham
-Folkestone, Kent
-Drumkeen Complex, Belfast
-Retail World, Gateshead
-Gloucester
-Hamilton, Scotland
-Hanworth, Feltham, London
-Harlow, Essex
-Eddington Business Park, Herne Bay, Kent
-Tyne Valley Retail Park, Hexham
-Heath Retail Park, Honiton
-Hove, Brighton & Hove
-Hull
-Leamington Spa
-Ledbury, Herefordshire
-Moor Allerton Centre, Leeds
-Letterkenny, Republic of Ireland
-Lewes, East Sussex
-London Catford
-London Streatham Vale
-Luton
-South Aylesford Retail Park, Maidstone
-Milton Keynes
-Navan Retail Park, Republic of Ireland
-Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire
-Norwich Hall Road
-Norwich Sprowston
-Madford Retail Park, Nottingham
-Oban, Scotland
-Oldbury, West Midlands
-Wyndham Retail Park, Portishead
-Romford, Essex
-Saffron Walden, Essex
-Sleaford, Lincolnshire
-St Albans
-Sudbury, Suffolk
-Wrekin Retail Park, Telford
-Truro, Cornwall
-Tunbridge Wells
-Upton, Wirral
-Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire
-Waterford, Republic of Ireland
-Wolverhampton
-Worcester
