Homebase has collapsed into administration, putting 2,000 jobs at risk.

Its owner Hilco had been looking to sell the struggling retailer, but has not managed to find an outright buyer.

Homeware chain The Range is buying up to 75 stores and the brand, safeguarding about 1,600 jobs.

But this leaves 49 stores without a buyer, and thousands of jobs at risk in the stores and head office.

Those stores will continue to trade while administrators Teneo look for a buyer, and there will be no immediate redundancies.

Along with up to 70 stores, Range owner CDS Superstores has also bought the brand name and intellectual property.

The location of the stores which have been bought has not yet been disclosed, and it is unclear whether they will remain branded as Homebase.

Homebase chief executive Damian McGloughlin said the past three years had been “incredibly challenging” for DIY stores.

He said a “decline in consumer confidence and spending following the pandemic” and “persistent high inflation, global supply chain issues and unseasonable weather” had all had an impact.

McGloughlin said the business had restructured and sought investment, but “these efforts have not been successful”.

He added that staff would find the news of the collapse “unsettling”.

Teneo joint administrator Gavin Maher said “this is a very difficult and uncertain time for all involved”.

He said any party with an interest in buying the remaining stores should “get in touch”.

Homebase recently completed the sale of 11 of its UK stores to Sainsbury’s, and the supermarket is in the process of buying another three.

Hilco bought Homebase in 2018 for £1 from Wesfarmers after a disastrous foray into the UK market for the Australian firm.

Wesfarmers had bought Homebase in 2016 and immediately sacked Homebase’s senior management team.

It admitted making a number of “self-induced” blunders, such as underestimating winter demand for a range of items from heaters to cleaning and storage, and dropping popular kitchen and bathroom ranges.