The Range owner CDS Superstores, which bought the Wilko brand and website out of administration, has announced that five new standalone concept stores will open before Christmas.
The first new Wilko shops will be in Plymouth and Exeter, while two further sites in the South East and one in the North will be revealed ‘imminently’. More stores will be rolled out in 2024.
A mixture of former stores and new sites are said to be under consideration, with former Wilko employees expected to be involved.
The new stores will offer Wilko products such as cleaning and household, decorating and DIY, garden and outdoor, homeware, pets and wildlife, storage and Christmas items.
Wilko’s website, wilko.com, has now been relaunched and CDS Superstores has announced that Wilko products will be sold in The Range’s 200 stores.
Public love for Wilko
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 Range bought the Wilko brand last month, while B&M bought 51 Wilko stores after the chain collapsed into administration in August.
