The Range confirmed as future tenant of Wrexham’s Homebase store

A major retailer has been unveiled as the future tenant of the town’s Homebase store.

Earlier this month Wrexham.com reported that the Plas Coch store was to close after a u-turn by the company.

The company was bought from Australian owner Wesfarmers by Chicago headquartered Hilco for a nominal £1 earlier in May.

Homebase has 241 stores and 11,000 employees. A number of its stores have closed this year and over 300 jobs have been axed from its Milton Keynes head office.

Wrexham’s store had avoided initial closure lists and was expected to remain open. However a spokesperson confirmed earlier this month that the Plas Coch store would cease trading on December 14th.

The spokesperson said: “As conversations take place on a store by store basis, there is an element of fluidity in the process. I can confirm that the Wrexham store is scheduled to close on 14th December.

“We aren’t able to provide employees numbers.

“Consultations are still ongoing and the business is exploring redeployment options so the figure is not yet clear.”

Since the announcement it has been rumoured that The Range is likely to move into the Homebase store – something which has been confirmed by real estate advisor Savills yesterday.

The retailer has agreed a new 15-year lease for the 49,332 sq ft (4,583 sq m) store, which is set to be vacated by Homebase at the end of 2018, at a rent of £8.11 per sq ft (£87.30 per sq m).

The unit is located adjacent to Argos, Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Plas Coch Retail Park, where occupiers include Boots, TK Maxx, Sports Direct and Currys PC World.

The Range has more than 150 stores nationwide – with Queensferry currently being the closest store to Wrexham.

Charlie Greenhalgh, out-of-town retail director at Savills, comments: “We are delighted to have secured a deal with The Range for this store, which benefits from being situated within Wrexham’s dominant out of town retail area.”

In October Wrexham.com reported that Savills, alongside Emanuel Oliver, had been appointed by ‘Meadow Estates Company’ as leasing agent at Eagles Meadow Shopping Centre.

Savills UK retail and leisure agency team is more than 80-strong, operating from a network of offices in London, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and Leeds. The firm advises landlords and occupiers in shopping centre, high street, retail park and outlet centre locations across the UK, with instructions totalling circa 43.5 million sq ft.