The Range, Home, Leisure and Garden retailer, is excited to announce a Summer opening for their new Head Office at the old Seaton Hill Barracks site just off the Tavistock road in Derriford, Plymouth creating up to 450 new jobs for the city.
The new store is already open and has been very well received by customers who have enjoyed seeing the transformation of the site.
The New Head Office once completed will have a link to the store next door allowing for staff training. The advantages of having a Head Office next door to a store are going to be a huge step in the continued success of the company.
Already at 164 stores The Range continues to buck the trend of retail and has an extensive plan to open more stores across the UK and Ireland creating even more jobs.
The Range is owned by Plymouth entrepreneur Chris Dawson and has grown from its first store in Plymouth 30 years ago to over 160 stores across the UK with the aim for 600 stores. The Range currently has their Head Office based in Estover but the business has grown rapidly and the current site is no longer big enough. The Head Office site currently employs 250 staff while the new Head Office will hold up to 700 staff, creating 450 new jobs over a wide range of departments from Buying, E-commerce, IT, Marketing and Accounts.
Chris Dawson Owner and founder of The Range comments “It was always very important for me to keep our Head Office operations in our home city of Plymouth and the place that CDS The Range started, I have staff that have worked for the company for over 20 years so having a new office built just down the road from the current office is a big deal to all of us. Having the new Superstore next to our Head Office also means that it can be used as a Training Academy and centre of excellence so that Range staff from across the UK can come down to Plymouth and be trained to the highest standards. We also have a lot of suppliers visit us from around the world that will use local hotels, restaurants and transport, they might even stay for a holiday! I would like to personally thank the Council for being so supportive in helping us keep the Head Office in its home city of Plymouth”
Council leader Tudor Evans OBE said: “It makes me incredibly proud to be able to see the transformation of this plot of land into a place where hundreds of people work for a hugely successful – and home grown – company. “We acquired the site from the MOD in 2011 and helped lay the ground for The Range to make its base here. Being proactive, supporting and helping businesses to invest here in Plymouth is massively important to the Council, to the city. “It means steady work for hundreds of people as well as opportunities and that’s great for families here in Plymouth. We are talking over 500 people now enjoying employment – that’s just fantastic”.
Source : Insight DIY Team and The Range