The Range has started work on the largest warehouse development to be built in the Ƶ this year.

The discount retailer is building a state-of-the-art 1.2million square feet distribution unit at Gateway 14, a new logistics park in Suffolk.

It will be so vast, said the retailer, that it will be big enough to be seen from space and will create around 1,650 jobs once complete in 12 months.

The huge new mega-shed is part of the firm's plan to increase its existing store portfolio – currently 210 stores in Ƶ & ROI – by a further 100 stores as well as adding thousands of new products to its store network and e-commerce business.

Alex Simpkin, Chief Executive of The Range said: “This is not only a major landmark in the expansion of The Range’s estate, it’s also great to be able to announce some positive news that will, quite simply, inject millions of pounds into the Ƶ economy.

“This vast distribution centre will allow us to expand to further locations around the Ƶ - creating new jobs, opening more stores and providing an even better service in store and online for customers. It will allow us to expand our product offer, including even more unbelievable value and price-sensitive lines.”

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The Range is one of the fastest growing retailers in the Ƶ and is owned and run by Plymouth entrepreneur and self-made billionaire, Chris Dawson.

He began his career as an open-air market trader in the 1980s trading across the South West of England, before opening his first store under the name CDS at Sugar Mill in Plymouth in 1989.

Chris Dawson and his wife Sarah are among the richest people in the Ƶ, according to The Sunday Times Rich List 2022, sharing a fortune of £2.25bn, up £200m on last year.

The Range saw sales leap by £352m during the worst of the Covid pandemic after the stores remained open as “essential retailers”.

The hike in earnings to £1.35bn in 2020 led to after-tax profits for the Plymouth-headquartered company jumping to £145m last year - more than three times the £47m profit made the previous year.

Tony George, Head of Logistics at The Range said that the new logistics hub bolsters The Range's sustainability credentials.

It will have EV charging, LED lighting, solar and smart energy systems.

He said: "We already have two existing major distribution hubs in the Ƶ and this new site with its proximity to the Port of Felixstowe will provide green benefits through fewer delivery miles for both inbound stock and onward deliveries to The Range stores.”

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