All The Range articles
The Range is a rapidly expanding, mixed-goods superstore chain founded by the eccentric Chris Dawson, now chairman, in the late 1980s. The business started as a market stall in Plymouth before moving to its first physical store in 1989 as CDS Superstores, its name prior to the 1990s rebranding. The Range now trades through more than 200 stores across the UK and Ireland, and has partnered with Iceland to roll out grocery concessions within its larger locations.
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AnalysisWill ex-Morrisons men make Poundstretcher another shrewd buy for Fortress?
Last week, it was announced that Majestic Wine and Punch Pubs owner Fortress had acquired discount retailer Poundstretcher, along with a new leadership team made up of ex-Morrisons staff.
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NewsMore store openings for The Range at former Wilko sites
The Range will open two new stores on Good Friday (March 29) at former Wilko sites, following the opening of another store last week in Hucknall, Nottingham.
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NewsWilko and The Range to close all stores on Boxing Day
Wilko and The Range will close all of their 200-plus stores on Boxing Day to give its staff a “well-earned break” over the festive period.
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GalleryWilko returns with first store openings in Plymouth and Exeter
Wilko has opened its first new concept stores in Devon’s Plymouth and Exeter as it returns to the UK high street.
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NewsThe Range warns on outlook as sales slip
The Range has reported a decrease in sales and warned of a “severe but plausible downside” that could impact future sales.
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NewsWilko confirms opening dates and locations for first three concept stores
Wilko has revealed the opening dates and locations for its first three concept stores, due to open before Christmas.
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AnalysisThe Range: The value variety chain bringing back Wilko
With news emerging that five Wilko stores will be brought back to high streets and retail parks by new owner The Range, Retail Week explores what the value variety retailer has been doing to cement its place as a staple in UK retail
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NewsWilko returns to the high street as The Range owner plans ‘aggressive’ store rollout
Wilko shops on high streets and retail parks are to be opened by the brand’s new owner with the first five branches trading in time for Christmas, Retail Week can reveal.
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NewsWilko website resumes trading under new owner The Range
The website wilko.com has restarted its home delivery for online orders under its new owner The Range.
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NewsThe Range makes £5m deal to acquire Wilko brand and website
Value retailer The Range has made a deal to buy the Wilko brand from administrators PwC for around £5m, saving 36 jobs in the process.
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NewsWilko rescue deal collapses, putting thousands of jobs at risk
A rescue deal for Wilko being worked on by HMV owner Doug Putman has collapsed, leaving the future of thousands of jobs in limbo.
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AnalysisPrice cuts vs promotional offers: what have the discounters decided?
As more customers turn to discount retailers during the cost-of-living crisis, Retail Week takes a look at what changes the value sector is making to appeal to a wider range of customers
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AnalysisRanking: The fastest-growing value retailers revealed
In the cost-of-living crisis, affordable retailers have never been more relevant to price-conscious consumers, but which have been making the most of the mood of the nation? And which are set to turn market share into future growth? To find out, the Retail Week analyst team has tracked group sales across 15 of the biggest value retailers and analysed their compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to predict how much bigger they’ll be in five years’ time
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AnalysisAnalysis: How The Range went from market stall origins to cracking UK’s top 30 retailers
In Retail Week’s recent ranking of who the top 30 retailers in the UK will be by 2026, The Range and Adidas were the two new entries that are set to take the 28th and 30th spot respectively.
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NewsExclusive: Two new players to enter top 30 biggest retailers by 2026
A ranking of the biggest retailers in the UK and a five-year forecast of the top 30 has revealed two new retailers will be joining the list.
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AnalysisRanking: Who will be the biggest retailers in the UK in 2026?
Offering a glimpse of what lies ahead, Retail Week analysts reveal which retailers will sit at the top of the food chain in 2026, which will be overtaken by their closest rivals and which will lose their spot in the ranking altogether
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Retail Navigator AnalysisThe Range (Strategy)
CDS Superstores owns and operates The Range, a mixed goods superstore primarily focused on homewares. It is one of the UK’s fastest expanding retailers and has – perhaps somewhat ambitiously – stated that it is targeting a network of 600 stores. Still predominately based in retail parks, it started to move into city centre and shopping centre locations following a strategy shift a few years ago.
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Retail Navigator AnalysisThe Range (SWOT)
The Range’s staunch value stance should chime well with cash-strapped consumers during the current cost-of-living crisis, positioning the retailer for further growth. However, the UK value sector is becoming increasingly competitive and saturated following the expansion of several players including Home Bargains, B&M and Poundland. In addition, discount retailers Aldi and Lidl also continue to open new stores and have diversified their product ranges beyond groceries. The intense competition in the sector has been highlighted by the collapse of Wilko in 2023, although this does provide scope for other value retailers to gain share as a result of its demise and created opportunity for The Range, which acquired the Wilko brand, website and intellectual property and has since relaunched Wilko.com and started ‘reintroducing’ Wilko stores.
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Retail Navigator Analysis
Wilko (Overview)
The Range completed a £5m deal in late 2023 with the acquisition of the Wilko website and IP from administrators. The Wilko site was relaunched under The Range’s ownership in October, with a handful of Wilko stores reappearing on the high street in the run up to Christmas and an “aggressive rollout” on the cards for 2024.
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Retail Navigator Analysis
The Range (Overview)
CDS Superstores owns The Range, a rapidly expanding mixed goods superstore operation spanning 16 departments including DIY, kitchen, dining, furniture, lighting, arts and crafts and textiles and stocking over 65,000 products.
