HOMEWARE retailer The Range is set to open its doors next week, bringing with it 80 new jobs.

Work is under way putting the finishing touches on the Hylton Road site, which was formerly Homebase, and signage has already been put in place ready for the opening of the store.

The new store will create 80 full and part-time jobs, including store and department managers, warehouse assistants and retail administrators when it opens on December 20. The store will include a family cafe, large outdoor garden centre, and an Iceland Foods coming in the new year.

Hylton Road’s branch of The Range comes as the chain expands across the UK, currently running 175 stores.

READ MORE: 80 jobs to be created when new branch of The Range opens in Worcester

The store is due to be officially opened by the Mayor of Worcester, Councillor Allah Ditta, at 9am with giveaways for the first 50 people in the queue, including a star prize for the first in-line.

Owner of The Range, Chris Dawson, said: "Each store plays an important part in the success of our company and Worcester is no exception.

"This site has been on the radar for some time and we are delighted to bring a new national retailer to the town, especially with this being a new build, bringing many benefits to the local economy.

"We are very lucky with the staff we have and I look forward to welcoming the new team members to the company.

"I would like to invite the local community to join us for the opening next week and discover the fantastic selection of products that we offer."

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The celebrations continue over the opening weekend, with free demos in-store including: DO Craft Demos from 10am until 4pm on December 21, Snazaroo facepainting on the same day from 11am until 4pm and a Trimcraft demo on December 22 from 10.30 until 4pm.

Staff from the Homebase store were offered jobs at The Range after it closed in August despite fears they would not be offered any.

Employees had been told that they would not be offered jobs in Hylton Road, and that there were only limited vacancies at Homebase’s other branch in Blackpole. Shortly after, it was confirmed that all staff had been offered interviews at the Hylton Road branch.