ANOTHER 10 former Wilko stores are re-opening to Poundland stores within days.
Wilko went into administration on August 10 and since then a flurry of rivals bought a handful of stores.
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Among those was discount chain Poundland, which purchased 71 stores and the first are opening in just a few days.
It already opened 10 stores last weekend but the reopenings have been pretty basic to begin as all stores will then receive a full makeover in 2024.
The shops will mostly include Poundland items but also a selection of Wilko products that weren’t sold during the closing-down sales.
But now, Poundland is opening another 10 of these stores this weekend.
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The following English and Welsh Wilko stores will open on the morning of Saturday, October 7 in:
- Nottingham Street, Melton Mowbray
- Bank Road, Matlock
- Welsh Street, Chepstow
- The Kimberley Shopping Centre, Greens Lane, Nottingham,
- High Street, Worcester
- Civic Way, Marina Walk, Ellesmere Port
- Cary Lane, Brigg
- Fore Street, Redruth
- Victoria Road, Ferndown
- Crane Street, Torfaen, Pontypool, South Wales
It comes days after Poundland reopened old Wilko sites on Saturday, September 30 in:
- Broad Street, Stafford
- Pendle Rise Shopping Centre, Nelson
- The Peel Centre, Great Portwood Street, Stockport
- The Mall, Church Street, Eccles
- 36-40 London Street, Southport
- Lord Street, Leigh
- 22/28 East Street, Barking
- 88-90 High Street, Maidenhead
- 2 -12 Bede Precinct, Viking Centre, Jarrow
- Unit 2 The Broadway, Scunthorpe
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Poundland’s managing director Austin Cooke said: “Our people make Poundland special and last week they did an amazing job to turn ex-Wilko stores into brand new Poundlands in just six days – the size and scale of what they’ve achieved has been nothing short of phenomenal.
“But they worked hard because we meant what we said about moving quickly to create jobs for Wilko colleagues.
“And that’s why we’ll pull out all the stops to repeat that feat and open another 10 stores this weekend.
“And while it will take a little time to get the converted Wilkos quite as we’d like, by opening swiftly we’re protecting jobs, adding amazing value to the high street, and putting more stores and products closer to our customers when they need it most.”
Poundland aims to open all the former Wilko stores it bought by the end of 2023.
The Range recently snapped up the Wilko brand, including the name and website, in a £5million deal with administrators.
A message has since appeared on the Wilko website telling customers home delivery is “returning soon”.
An exact date for when the service is returning is yet to be revealed.
B&M also purchased 51 stores which means more Wilko shops will be reopening in the near future.
It’s not yet confirmed which branches, but previously said it’ll give an update in November.
Wilko stores have been closing across the month of September.
On September 12, 24 Wilko stores closed for good and on Thursday September 14, another 28 stores shut up shop.
Both of Wilko’s warehouses also closed on September 15.
A further 38 stores pulled down their shutters one last time on September 17 and 38 more closed on September 19.
On September 22, nearly 50 branches closed their doors and 37 stores close their doors for the final time on Tuesday (September 26).
It comes amid a turbulent time for retailers as they close stores across the UK.
Consumers are increasingly turning to online shopping and away from physical branches, a trend made worse by the coronavirus pandemic.
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High inflation since last year has meant shoppers’ money isn’t going as far either as they hold off on leisure purchases.
That, combined with high energy and wage costs, has seen a number of retailers closing stores, including Boots and Iceland.
