Inside the new Wilko stores returning to the high street after chain’s collapse – featuring all your old favourites
AS I walked up to the brand-new Wilko store in St Albans, I was hit by a wave of nostalgia.
Mine was among the millions of hearts that broke around the country when beloved high street staple Wilko announced it was shutting all of its shops.
The discount retailer is slowly rebuilding its presence on high streets after collapsing into administration in August 2023 and closing all of its 400 stores.
Following several failed rescue bids, fellow bargain chain The Range bought Wilko‘s name and intellectual property.
CDS Superstores, trading as The Range and Wilko, relaunched the latter’s website shortly after the sale went through and began selling classic Wilko products in the former’s stores.
Then, in late November, the retailer shocked fans by announcing that physical stores would also be making a comeback.
By December, three shops were open in Plymouth, Exeter, and Luton.
In March, a further two sites opened in St Albans and Rotherham.
I was lucky enough to be invited to take an exclusive tour of the new Wilko in The Maltings shopping centre in St Albans.
Here’s what I thought…
INSIDE THE NEW WILKO
The new store is a pretty good size at 18,000sq ft and is located on the site of the former Wilko branch before the chain collapsed.
It means that former staff were all given the opportunity to interview for their old roles, a nice touch from The Range.
Walking around the new shop, I really felt like I’d been transported back in time as I wandered up the aisles filled with familiar branded items.
The wave of nostalgia I felt really surprised me, I found myself feeling pretty excited to browse the aisles again.
The new shops offer a familiar array of value goods including cleaning and household products, decorating and DIY gadgets, as well as garden and seasonal items.
But the new and improved branches actually offer as much as 20% more than their predecessors, including more food and snacks than ever before.
A new feature added recently is the Iceland freezers, usually found in The Range stores, which stock all of the classic ranges including TGI Friday’s, Greggs and Slimming World.
Among the items back on offer are popular favourites like the iconic Wilko paint, which is available in a variety of colours and finishes.
Also back on shelves are beloved own-brand products like gardening seeds and Wilko-branded poo bags.
Perhaps the most exciting part of Wilko stores making a comeback… is the pick ‘n’ mix.
A staple in many kids’ childhoods, Wilko’s Pick ‘n’ Mix has always been a top reason for visiting the stores.
Now, it’s back in all its glory, providing all your favourite sweets and chocs.
The retailer has recently re-launched its free, click-and-collect service.
It means shoppers can choose from over 30,000 products and pick up their wilko.com orders from stores with as little as an hour’s notice.
Not only that but shoppers can also head over to the Order Point in the store to browse the Wilko catalogue and order whatever they like to be delivered to the store or their home.
How to bag a bargain
SUN Savers Editor Lana Clements explains how to find a cut-price item and bag a bargain...
Sign up to loyalty schemes of the brands that you regularly shop with.
Big names regularly offer discounts or special lower prices for members, among other perks.
Sales are when you can pick up a real steal.
Retailers usually have periodic promotions that tie into payday at the end of the month or Bank Holiday weekends, so keep a lookout and shop when these deals are on.
Sign up to mailing lists and you’ll also be first to know of special offers. It can be worth following retailers on social media too.
When buying online, always do a search for money off codes or vouchers that you can use vouchercodes.co.uk and myvouchercodes.co.uk are just two sites that round up promotions by retailer.
Scanner apps are useful to have on your phone. Trolley.co.uk app has a scanner that you can use to compare prices on branded items when out shopping.
Bargain hunters can also use B&M’s scanner in the app to find discounts in-store before staff have marked them out.
And always check if you can get cashback before paying which in effect means you’ll get some of your money back or a discount on the item.
FUTURE OF WILKO
The Range founder, Chris Dawson said up to 300 stores could reopen on Britain’s high streets.
Alex Simpkin, CEO of CDS Superstores, trading as The Range and Wilko, told The Sun: “We’re in discussions with a huge number of landlords regarding sites.
“Yes, it’s important for us to open stores but they have to be the right locations. Regardless of whether we’re looking at old Wilko locations or considering new ones, we have to make sure we’ve secured the right space and rents to make them work.”
The next store in the works is the Poole shop, although Wilko has yet to confirm the exact opening date though.
New locations are said to be being “cherry-picked” from the biggest UK high streets.
Some will be in former Wilko site locations but others will be brand new sites, better suited to the brand, The Sun understands.
Here is the full list of Wilko stores on the way or open already:
- Unit A, Armada Centre, Mayflower Street, Plymouth – opened December 1
- Unit 100, Guildhall Shopping Centre, Exeter – opened December 1
- 141/147 Arndale Centre, Luton – opened December 8
- St Albans, (The Maltings) – opened March 29
- Rotherham (Parkgate Shopping Park) – opened March 29
- Dolphin Centre in Poole – date TBC
What happened to Wilko
Here is a timeline of what happened to Wilko
- May 2021: Wilko full year pre-tax profits drop and sales decline £107m thanks to a “challenging retail landscape” in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis.
- January 2022: The retailer reveals plans to close 15 stores in 2022, putting hundreds of jobs on the line.
- September 2022: Supplier payments are deferred and extended in a bid to manage cash flow. Wilko asks landlords to pay its quarterly rent bill in monthly instalments as it conserves cash to stock up for Christmas.
- October 2022: The business drafts in advisers from Teneo as it tries to find ways to cut costs.
- Credit insurers Allianz Trade and Atradius withdraws cover for the firm.
- November 2022: Wilko tries to secure an emergency £30m cash injection as cost pressures intensify in the run-up to Christmas as managing director Alison Hands departs the business. The retailer posts a £36.8m loss in the year to January 29, 2022 in ‘incredibly difficult period’.
- December 2022: The company names Bensons for Beds boss Mark Jackson as its new CEO as talks continue over a refinancing.
- January 2023: Wilko secures a £40m lifeline from Homebase and Cath Kidston owner Hilco UK and tells suppliers it will no longer stock toys across its stores, as it focuses on selling garden and household goods.
- February 2023: The business reveals plans to axe over 400 jobs as it looks to control costs and shuffles its senior leadership team
- May 2023: Wilko considers launching a CVA to cut rent costs and potentially close stores
- June 2023: The retailer hires property agent CBRE to help negotiate lower rents as PwC lined up to manage a CVA.
- July 2023: The business looks to secure fresh funding as its owners consider selling a controlling stake Hilco agrees to lend about £5m in additional funding to Wilko as it faces an intensifying cash squeeze.
- August 2023: Wilko appoints PwC as administrator, potentially putting 12,000 jobs at risk.
- September 2023: Poundland swooped in to snap up 71 Wilko stores while administrators sold up to 51 Wilko stores to rival B&M. PwC agree the sale of the retailer’s brand name and intellectual property to The Range in a £5million deal.
- October 2023: All Wilko stores close and disappear from the high street. Wilko reveals that its online shop is back. Wilko shops announced to return too.
- December 2023: First Wilko stores return in Exeter and Plymouth
What other retailers have made a comeback?
It has been a tough time for retailers since Covid and the last few years have seen many vanish from our high streets.
The rising cost of living and expensive rents have all been playing a part in the demise of some of our much-loved high street names.
This week saw the return of the beloved record chain Our Price.
The record store was once a staple of the UK high street from the early 1970s until 2004.
The first store was on London‘s Finchley Road, and the brand had as many as 300 branches at its peak, making it one of the biggest music store chains in the UK.
Last week Our Price revealed it would be making a return as music lovers will once again be able to buy thousands of vinyls and other merch.
Shoppers can browse the catalogue online for now only, owners have not ruled out the return to physical stores at some point in the future.
Toys R Us is also among those which has managed to make a comeback.
The popular toy brand opened up nine new shops in 2023 after vanishing from the high street in 2018.
However, the new stores are slightly different as they are “shop-in-shops” and are located inside WHSmith stores.
Toys R Us will be opening 30 new shops across the UK this summer following the successful opening of almost a dozen stores last year.
In October last year, Paperchase also made a return after closing all of its 134 shops and concessions earlier in the year.
Fans of the brand were devastated when the retailer disappeared from the high street in April after falling into administration.
However, supermarket giant Tesco stepped in and bought the rights to the brand and then went on to launch it in some of its stores.
A total of 261 Tesco stores now stock Paperchase products – we have the full list here.
M&Co, previously called Mackay’s, fell into administration for the second time in two years in December 2022.
Fellow retailer Yours Clothing bought the M&Co brand and intellectual property.
The retailer launched a new M&Co website in June 2023 and The Sun exclusively revealed its plans to open up physical stores starting in May 2024.
Meanwhile, we also visited the new Toys R Us shops when they first reopened.
Plus, have a look inside an iconic fast food chain’s training centre with a fake restaurant simulator.
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