Homebase comes alive as CDS revives the DIY range within the newly branded stores
Homebase is set to return in a reduced format after the DIY chain collapsed last month, with new owner CDS confirming plans to reopen 70 former stores under the Range Superstores banner.
Each location will retain the Homebase name on the garden center sections, while some will also feature Homebase-branded kitchen doors.
CDS, founded by former market trader Chris Dawson, aims to launch the first three converted stores on 17 January in Pollokshaws (Glasgow), Christchurch (Bournemouth) and Kings Heath (Birmingham), followed by 10 new openings per month from February. Headquartered in Plymouth, the privately held retailer operates around 220 sites in the UK and Ireland under the Range and Wilko brands.
Homebase’s online presence will come under the control of CDS in early 2025, and Teneo – the director of the defunct chain – is looking for buyers of 49 stores not included in the deal. During the transition, those remaining stores will continue to trade under the Homebase name.
Alex Simpkin, chief executive of CDS, said: “We are fully committed to maintaining the best of Homebase’s values while introducing the wider product range and value that customers have come to expect from us as a Range.”
The purchase of Homebase comes after CDS bought Wilko brand in September 2023, after the budget homeware retailer went into administration. CDS has since opened seven Wilko stores, mainly in high streets and shopping areas, and is planning more locations next year. However, plans to open 40 Wilko locations this year have been scaled back due to stiff competition in the discount retail sector and challenges in finding suitable locations.
Industry observers suggest that the twin acquisitions of Wilko and Homebase could kick off CDS for the stock market, a move it explored but abandoned some years ago. Simpkin says the company’s “significant investment in infrastructure” has prepared it for its “next phase of growth.”
He adds that the group is in a good financial position to expand into hundreds of potential locations, going beyond the traditional retail parks that Range likes to explore store brands and locations.
