The Range opened its Harrogate store yesterday (March 28) and I challenge anyone to come out empty-handed. 

The Range is something of a phenomen, much like IKEA. It claims to stock 140,000 products across 16 different departments and markets itself as offering competitive prices. 

The doors of the superstore, which has taken over Plumpton Park unit formerly occupied by Homebase, officially opened at 9am, but shoppers flocked to the site early in anticipation.

I arrived shortly before then, only to be met with a queue of people nearing the doors of neighbouring Morrisons, all eagerly waiting to see what The Range had in store – literally.

Standing in the queue, which died down relatively quickly, I heard lots of people saying how happy they were about the opening.

Most notably, people were delighted to not have to travel to Leeds or York to shop at The Range.

Once inside, shoppers were greeted by a balloon arch, Lib Dem councillor and deputy charter mayor, Philip Broadbank, and a superhero donning The Range’s uniform. 

Immediately, I noticed the layout was nearly identical to Homebase. This definitely makes the shopping experience easier, given the store itself is huge.

Homebase fell into administration last November, but CDS Superstores – which owns The Range and Wilko – acquired its name, intellectual property and up to 70 stores in a rescue deal. 

When the Stray Ferret visited Homebase before it closed, a staff member told us jobs were to be transferred to The Range. 

What’s in stock?

The Range – as the name suggests – stocks a wide range of products. When I say “wide”, I mean it stocks almost everything you can think of.

The products are varied and the company appears to cater to many different tastes.

Starting with homeware, which is mostly upstairs, The Range offers beds, soft furnishings, cushions, rugs, curtains and home décor.

There is a myriad of kitchen appliances – including air fryers, microwaves, kettles and slow cookers – as well as crockery, tableware, glassware and much more. 

You can also expect vast amounts of cleaning products, lots of storage containers and even cosmetics. 

Green-fingered shoppers will delight in the Garden Centre by Homebase – the only remnant of Homebase’s existence.

It offers a wide range of flowers, bulbs, shrubs, gardening tools and water features.

There is also a large outdoor section, which includes garden furniture, power tools, lawn mowers, mesh greenhouses, LAY-Z-SPA hot tubs, fake flowers and BBQs.

There is a huge arts, crafts and stationary section. It includes all kinds of art supplies, such as sketchbooks and paints, as well as whole wall dedicated to yarn.

I suspect some children’s Christmas lists may double in length after a visit to The Range. The toy section is huge and full of both branded and unbranded toys.

In addition, there are skateboards, learning bikes, paddling pools and outdoor game sets aplenty. 

There is a small fitness section upstairs, which includes a range of weights, equipment and water bottles. 

There were kettlebells, a selection of dumbbells, resistance bands and even muscle massagers. 

There is little The Range lacks and will no doubt be a welcome addition to the town.