New jobs are in the pipeline as homeware giant The Range looks set to return to Widnes more than a year after closing its store in the town.

The firm is currently advertising numerous job roles and the World understands it is poised to open a new store in the former Wilko unit at Widnes Shopping Park.

The Range withdrew from Widnes - and Halton altogether - at the beginning of 2023, closing its giant Widnes Trade Park site on January 2. The closure marked the culmination of a retail merry-go-round of store moves and closures. B&Q originally made way for The Range at the Trade Park, which opened its Widnes shop in February 2021 after leaving Runcorn Shopping City.

Then when The Range closed, B&M took over the Widnes store after itself having moved from neighbouring Bowers Retail Park – literally just across the road.

Now just over a year later, The Range is advertising a number of Widnes-based roles online, include store manager, assistant manager, retail assistant, cleaner and warehouse positions. The job advertisements said the firm was recruiting 'as a result of expansion plans'.

The Wilko unit at Widnes Shopping Park has been shuttered since the collapse of the company last August. The firm employed 12,500 staff nationally and had been a part of the British high street since 1930.

The Range's parent company CDS Superstores later struck a deal to buy the Wilko brand from administrators for £5m, and recently announced it would be re-opening some Wilko stores and prioritising staff who had been laid off for the new jobs. It was recently announced the Runcorn Wilkos store in Runcorn Shopping City would become a Poundstretcher.

The Range did not respond to requests for comment.