Homebase will return in a slimmed-down format following the collapse of the DIY chain last month, with new owner CDS confirming plans to reopen 70 former stores under the Range Superstores banner.
Each branch will retain the Homebase name in its garden center departments, and some will also include a Homebase branded kitchen department.
CDS, founded by ex-market trader Chris Dawson, plans to launch the first three converted stores on January 17 in Pollokshaws (Glasgow), Christchurch (Bournemouth) and Kings Heath (Birmingham), followed by 10 new openings per month from February . The privately held retailer, headquartered in Plymouth, operates around 220 locations in Britain and Ireland under the Range and Wilko brands.
Homebase’s online presence will come under CDS control in early 2025, and Teneo – the operator of the defunct chain – is looking for buyers for 49 outlets not included in the deal. During the transition, the remaining stores will continue to trade under the Homebase name.
Alex Simpkin, CEO of CDS, said: “We are fully committed to preserving the best of Homebase’s heritage, whilst introducing the wider product range and value that customers have come to expect from us as the Range.”
The takeover of Homebase follows CDS’s purchase of the Wilko brand in September 2023, after the budget homewares retailer went bankrupt. CDS has now opened seven Wilko stores, mainly in high streets and shopping centers, and is planning more locations next year. However, the targets to open 40 Wilko branches this year have been scaled back due to fierce competition in the discount retail sector and difficulties in finding suitable premises.
Industry observers suggest the twin acquisitions of Wilko and Homebase could prepare CDS for a stock market debut, a move the company explored but later abandoned several years ago. Simpkin says the “substantial infrastructure investments” have prepared the company for the “next phase of growth.”
He adds that the group is financially well positioned to expand to hundreds of potential locations, moving beyond the more traditional retail parks favored by the Range to test a variety of store formats and locations.