The Range Opens at Willowburn, Filling the Old Homebase Unit

Willowburn Retail Park has a major new tenant. The Range opened its Alnwick superstore on Willowburn Avenue in mid-July, bringing a large home, garden and leisure store back to a prominent unit that had stood empty since the start of 2025.

Filling a unit empty since February 2025

The building was previously a Homebase, which closed in February 2025 as the DIY chain wound down its national store estate. For well over a year the unit sat vacant on one of the town's busiest retail sites, next to Turnbull's Northumbrian Food Hall and within walking distance of the leisure centre. Its reopening removes a conspicuous empty box from the edge of town and returns the space to active use.

A superstore with a garden centre

The new store is one of The Range's larger "superstore" format outlets, stocking the chain's broad mix of homeware, furniture, craft supplies, pet products and seasonal goods. Crucially for a site with a garden-centre history, it also houses a Garden Centre by Homebase — The Range's parent company, CDS Superstores, bought the Homebase brand in 2024 and has been folding garden-centre concessions into its new openings. For Alnwick shoppers, that means plants, compost, pots and outdoor living lines under the same roof.

Best for: The Range Alnwick is at Willowburn Retail Park, Willowburn Avenue, NE66 2JH. Check current opening hours on the store page before travelling.

Jobs kept in the town

One welcome detail is that the retailer prioritised keeping on colleagues from the former Homebase store, safeguarding local jobs and carrying over some familiar faces and garden-centre know-how into the new operation. For a market town where large-format retail employment is limited, retaining those roles matters.

The arrival is another sign of confidence in Alnwick's retail offer, alongside recent town-centre openings. You can read the original report in the Northumberland Gazette.

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