The Range To Sell Food & Alcohol From Stoke-On-Trent Store

An application to sell food and drink at a Stoke-on-Trent branch of The Range has been approved by the local council.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council agreed to vary the conditions applicable to the Fenton store, to allow for the limited sale of food and drink, following an application by The Range in September 2019.

The Range now has permission to sell the following:

a. Electrical goods and appliances, wiring and light fittings and gas appliances
b. Stationery and office supplies including arts and crafts
c. DIY products, materials, tools and machinery for the repair, maintenance and improvement of the home and garden
d. Housewares including storage, tableware and ceramics
e. Camping and leisure goods excluding clothing and footwear
f. Motor and cycle goods, including bicycles but excluding motor vehicles
g. Furniture, carpets, bedding, soft furnishings, textiles, pictures and frames
h. Pets and related accessories including pet food
i. Food and drink, up to a maximum of 400sqm of retail floorspace (approximately 7% of the gross floorspace and 10% of the net retail floorspace).

The approval was granted in early February but the store has yet to update its product line-up. 

The Range requested the alteration as part of its evolving business model, which is to sell a limited range of food and drink items within some of its larger stores, so it can compete with similar retailers such as B&M and Home Bargains.

Four new jobs are expected to be created as a result of the changes.

In the application, The Range said:

"The company has a long lease and it has no intention or inclination to seek alternative premises.

"Rather as part of its evolving business model it is seeking to provide a complementary and ancillary range of food and drink items, similar to others in this field, such as B&M and Home Bargains.

"The variation will ensure the primary purpose of the store remains as a predominantly bulky goods, non-food retail warehouse."

Source : Insight DIY Team

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