A branch of The Range, located in AndoverA branch of The Range, located in Leeds
CDS (Superstores International) Limited (trading as The Range) is a British variety store and garden centre retailer, originally founded as Chris Dawson Superstores in 1989, as a standalone retailer.
In the 1990s, it became a chain and was rebranded to 'The Range', establishing a presence across the South West by the end of the decade. In the 2000s and 2010s, it engaged in rapid nationwide expansion and became one of the UK's fastest growing retailers.[2] In the 2020s, it acquired the Wilko and Homebase brands.[3]
History
In 1966, Chris Dawson left school with no qualifications, and started business as an open-air market trader in Plymouth.[4] In the early 1980s, he opened two cash and carry stores in Exeter and Newton Abbot, both of which he sold at the end of the decade as he took advantage of a property boom.[5]
In 1989, Dawson opened Chris Dawson Superstores as a standalone variety retailer at the Sugar Mill Retail Park in Plymouth, as he was convinced he convinced he could operate a better model than Woolworths or Trago Mills. His venture provided a success, and he began opening more of these superstores.[6]
In the early 1990s, Chris Dawson Superstores was subsequently rebranded to The Range.[7]
Throughout the 2000s, The Range's store openings continued to accelerate, with the chain benefitting from the acquisition of stores and liquidated stock from the administrations of Focus DIY, T. J. Hughes, MFI, Woolworths, and Empire Direct.[8][9]
In October 2012, the retailer opened a new distribution centre in Thorne, Doncaster.[11]
In November 2013, it was announced that The Range planned to open 40 stores in the period of 2013 to 2016.[12]
In September 2014, Compass Group were awarded a £60 million contract to open "Dee Dee's" coffee shop concessions in The Range's locations.[13] Some of these cafés are also known as Café Eighty-Nine.[14]
In August 2016 and October 2016, The Range entered both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland respectively.[15][16] Dawson also indicated he had expansion plans for Mainland Europe.[17]
In June 2017, the retailer opened a new distribution centre in Avonmouth, Bristol.[18]
In September 2017, for its e-commerce operations, the business was recognised as a leading multi-channel retailer in the Internet Retailing UK Top 250[19] and the EU Top 350[20] indices.
In August 2018, The Range announced a concession partnership with supermarket chain Iceland.[21] Later, Iceland and The Range announced Iceland Cafés would open in certain locations.[22]
In March 2019, the retailer announced it would open a new head office, relocating from the Estover area of Plymouth, to a new building in the Derriford area of Plymouth, next door to its flagship store. It was reported to employ over 300 people.[23]
In November 2024, The Range opened a new distribution centre in Stowmarket, Suffolk, reportedly creating 1,000 jobs.[24]
In September 2023, it purchased the Wilko brand from administrators for £5 million, no stores were rescued.[25] On October 12, 2023, it relaunched Wilko.com.[26] On December 1, 2023, it returned Wilko to the high-street, opening the first two locations in Plymouth and Exeter, and then proceeded to open four more locations.[27] In November 2024, it opened the seventh Wilko store in Uxbridge.[28]
In February 2025, it was announced that new Wilko location openings had been put on hold, whilst the team focuses on Homebase.[29]
In November 2024, it purchased the Homebase brand and 48 stores from administrators, as well as 22 possible option stores.[30] On January 17, 2025, it converted the first three acquired Homebase sites to The Range fascia, each with a 'Garden Centre by Homebase' concept.[31] At midnight on January 21, it re-launched Homebase.co.uk, which also included use of the Bathstore brand.[32] In February 2025, it was announced that both the in-store 'Jonas & James' and 'The Range Kitchens' brands would be merged and rebranded to 'Kitchens by Homebase'.[33] The Ruislip opening on March 21 introduced the first 'Kitchens by Homebase' concept.[34]
As of March 2025, CDS Superstores has converted 27 former Homebase locations to The Range, each with a 'Garden Centre by Homebase' concept. They have also named the next 17 sites to be converted, meaning at least 4 locations have yet to be publicly named.[35]
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