The Range has opened a new branch in Bishop's Stortford, located at Fitzroy Park off Stansted Road in the former Homebase premises. The store opened on Good Friday, April 18, 2025, offering a variety of products, including homeware, garden items, and outdoor living solutions. It is open to the public, with regular operating hours.
The mayor of Bishop's Stortford, Cllr Richard Townsend, officially opened the town's new branch of The Range. Queues of shoppers were waiting as the dog-friendly store at Fitzroy Park off Stansted Road began trading on Good Friday (April 18).
It acquired the Homebase brand name, intellectual property and up to 70 UK stores in November last year. The new locations will follow further rebrands of former Homebase stores in Pollokshaws, Glasgow; Christchurch, Bournemouth; Kings Heath, Birmingham; Newton Abbot; Felixstowe and Blyth.
Yes, TK Maxx is definitely coming to Bishop's Stortford at Jackson Square, with the fit-out already underway and an expected opening in spring 2026, following some earlier delays from previous projections. The new store is a major part of the shopping centre's redevelopment, adding a large anchor tenant to the town centre.
Poundland, which opened a store in Bishop's Stortford less than six months ago, has confirmed the Jackson Square branch will shut for good on Saturday May 4. A spokesman said: “Sadly we've been unable to secure a long-term lease that would enable us to keep trading.
The store spans 1,100,000 square feet (100,000 m2) of selling space, making it the largest department store in Europe and one of the largest in the world. Harrods is one of the most famous department stores worldwide, attracting 15 million visitors annually as of 2023.
Is The Range to transform up to 70 former Homebase stores into superstores in 2025?
The brand aims to open 10 new superstores each month of 2025, and stores in Newton Abbot, Felixstowe and Blyth are planned to open at the end of January. Overall, The Range also wants to transform up to 70 former Homebase stores and create up to 1,600 jobs, while keeping staff on board from the locations it bought.
Yes, The Range's parent company, CDS Superstores, acquired the Homebase brand and up to 70 of its UK stores after Homebase went into administration, converting many former Homebase locations into new-format The Range superstores that blend their offerings, while keeping the Homebase brand for digital sales.
Jackson Square is the principal shopping centre destination in Bishop's Stortford, anchored by a Sainsbury's superstore. The centre provides the town's main car parking facility with over 750 spaces.
Bishop's Stortford has produced or hosted many famous figures, including musicians like Sam Smith, Charli XCX, and Bill Sharpe (Shakatak); actors such as James Frain, Lynda Baron, and Russell Brand; and media personalities like DJ Greg James, alongside notable figures from sports, politics, and arts, with many attending local schools like Bishop's Stortford College or The Bishop's Stortford High School.
Instead Poundland has found itself running a store closure programme as it tries to secure its future on the high street. More than 100 of its shops have either shut or been earmarked for closure since the summer. That's after the business was sold in June for a nominal £1 amid "challenging trading conditions".
— TJX, the parent company of TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods, is equipping some store employees with body cameras to “thwart shoplifting and keep customers and employees safe,” according to a recent CNN report.
Famed for its hostelries, of which a few still exist, and for being a staging post on the mail coach routes between London and both Cambridge and Newmarket, the town's trade and wealth was enhanced by the opening of the Stort Navigation to London in 1769.
