Wilko is set to return to UK high streets and retail parks with five standalone concept stores due to open before Christmas ahead of a national roll-out across the UK.
The first two stores will open in Plymouth and Exeter followed by two locations in the South East and one in the North.
Following the recent relaunch of wilko.com, parent company CDS Superstores International, which owns The Range and Wilko brands, will reintroduce Wilko stores across the UK in the run up to Christmas with the roll-out continuing throughout 2024. For the first time in the brand’s history, Wilko stores will open in Northern Ireland.
Alex Simpkin, CEO of CDS Superstores, said: “For the majority of its 93 years, Wilko was an incredibly successful business that gave its customers exactly what they needed to get their home and garden jobs sorted. It was their advanced own-brand capabilities that encouraged us to invest in the brand and wilko.com and we’re excited to now be selling Wilko products online once more and across our 200 stores network.
“The public reaction to the loss of Wilko stores was undeniable. It’s clear that there’s a huge love for Wilko and we’ve seen an encouraging demand for the return of its own-brand products. That’s why we’ve taken the decision to reintroduce Wilko back to many of the high streets and communities that it used to so proudly serve.
“Our team from Wilko that joined us through the acquisition has shown true resilience, they’ve set to work to integrate the best parts of Wilko into The Range’s operational systems. We’re expanding that team every day with new Wilko hires and can’t wait to extend that back out to local communities. We’ll endeavour to give ex-Wilko employees priority as a part of the recruitment process for the new stores.”
The CDS Superstores property team is encouraging landlords across the UK to get in touch if they are interested in being considered for the new Wilko store roll-out programme.
