Blue Easter Laois ribbon cut to open The Range Portlaoise homewares store

Laois shoppers braved the Easter rain to queue ahead of the official opening of The Range in Portlaoise on Good Friday.

The grand opening of the business at the Portlaoise Retail Park was marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by Cllr Padraig Fleming, as customers flocked to explore the store’s extensive stock of homeware and gardening goods.

The Range group say shoppers were keen to be among the first to experience the store, with early queues forming outside. The first 50 customers were treated to goodie bags, filled with over 20 of the retailer’s most-loved products.

A statement issued to the Leinster Express / Laois Live said a highlight of the new Laois store is the ‘Garden Centre by Homebase’, offering a selection of outdoor plants, gardening tools and supplies to satisfy every green-fingered enthusiast. The outlet was formerly the location of Homebase which had a popular garden section.

A dog-friendly initiative, allowing well-behaved four-legged shoppers in store, provided they are kept on the lead was also highlighted as an attraction of the new Laois shop for local shoppers. MORE BELOW PICTURE

The Range is a home, leisure and gardens retailer which says it sells over 140,000 products across 18 departments including DIY, Kitchen & Dining, Furniture, Arts & Crafts and Textiles. Owned and run by entrepreneur and self-made billionaire, Chris Dawson, The Range started life as a market stall trading across the South West of England.

The first store was opened in 1989 under the name CDS and there are now over 210 stores across the UK and Ireland. 

CEO of CDS Superstores, trading as The Range, wilko and Homebase, Alex Simpkin said: “It’s been an exciting day for The Range and our customers here in Portlaoise. The opening of this new store marks a milestone for us, especially with the introduction of Garden Centres by Homebase – a great new offering for gardening lovers.

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“We’ve combined Homebase’s trusted expertise with the diverse range of products The Range is known for, and we can’t wait for more shoppers to experience this one-stop-shop destination for home improvement and gardening,” he said.

The Portlaoise store is part of the wider expansion in Ireland and Britain throughout 2025.

Pictured: Laois County Council Cathaoirleach Padraig Fleming cut the ribbon with staff at The Range in Portlaoise.

This newly opened store also features the free Click & Collect service, allowing customers to shop either online at www.homebase.co.uk or www.therange.co.uk and collect their purchases in-store within 60 minutes.

For more information, please visit https://www.therange.co.uk/