Huge budget retailer to reopen seven Wilko stores under a new name

A HUGE budget retailer has confirmed that it will reopen seven more Wilko stores within days following huge new expansion plans.

Poundland will open several ex-Wilko stores under its own branding within hours.

Poundland has already opened stores in 56 former Wilko sitesCredit: Rex

It comes after Wilko’s last remaining sites shut for good on Sunday, October 8.

The firm fell into administration on August 10 and since then a flurry of rivals bought a handful of stores.

Among those was Poundland, which purchased 71 stores, with the first opening earlier in October.

The retailer said the exact opening dates for each of the new stores will be confirmed in the coming week.

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Unit B, 25-37 Foregate Street, Chester
Unit 6, 34A The Parade, Swindon

In Stevenage, Camberley and Chester, Poundland will relocate into the Wilko units from existing nearby stores.

Poundland also has plans for 15 other store openings and relocations in December, including a move into a former John Lewis in Watford.

It will open stores in the following locations on Saturday December 2:

26 Stonehills, Welwyn Garden City
38 High Street, Midsomer Norton, Radstock
34-38 Midland Road, Bedford
72-72A Preston Street, Faversham
34-35 High Street, Newport, Shropshire
Unit 3, The Harlequin Centre, High Street, Watford (relocation)
56-58 Lord Street, Liverpool (relocation)
3 Risman Place, Washington Square, Workington (relocation)

It will then open stores in the following locations on Saturday December 9:

Units 4,5,7, Howgate Shopping Centre, High Street, Falkirk, (relocation)
44-46 High Road, Wood Green, London (relocation)
Unit 4, Cleveragh Retail Park, Sligo (Pepco)
27/29 High Street, Wells
10B, The Fort Shopping Park, 20 Fort Parkway, Birmingham
59 The Broadway, Plymstock, Plymouth (relocation)
Units 13-14 Antonine Shopping Centre, Tryst Road, Cumbernauld (relocation)

All new Poundland stores – both Wilko and non-Wilko units – will feature the very latest Pepco family clothing that has rolled out to 560 of Poundland’s existing UK and Ireland stores.

Austin Cooke, Poundland’s managing director said: “We excitedly continue to open and relocate stores at pace so we can bring our best offer, including all-new clothing, chilled and frozen food to customers, existing and new.

“The monumental effort from our teams continues to amaze me, and it supports jobs and high streets right across Britain.

“That’s 86 stores in 70 days that we’ll have opened successfully, and no one should underestimate the effort and energy that our teams have put into delivering that achievement – I certainly don’t. It’s phenomenal!”

To date, Poundland has now made offers of employment to over 800 former Wilko colleagues.