WILKO is set to return to the UK high street after collapsing earlier this year.
Shoppers will once again be able to browse in the beloved discount chain, with five stores opening before Christmas.
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The Wilko name and intellectual property was bought by rival discounter The Range in the summer.
Now CDS Superstores, which trades as The Range and Wilko, has confirmed it will be relaunching the chain at sites in England, Scotland, and Wales.
The company has also said it will be opening Wilko shops in Northern Ireland for the first time.
Five stores are set to be up and running before Christmas.
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So far the only exact locations confirmed are in Plymouth and Exeter.
These sites are set to open in early December.
Two further stores will open in the South-East and one in the North to be announced imminently.
The roll-out will then continue in January with a view to having more shops open within months, according to CDS.
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Chief executive officer of CDS Superstores, Alex Simpkin said: “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.”
Mr Simpkin went on to add that the company will aim to give ex-Wilko employees priority as a part of the recruitment process for the new stores.
The new shops will offer value items including cleaning and household, decorating and DIY, garden and outdoor, homeware, pets, storage, and seasonal items.
Customers will also be able to self-serve the full wilko.com range for home delivery using in-store terminals.
CDS Superstores is asking landlords across the UK to open “productive conversations” if they’re interested in their sites becoming Wilko stores.
It said a mixture of former shops and new sites are being considered, it added.
It comes after The Range also announced Wilko products are set to return to the high street today inside The Range stores.
Concessions have opened inside the chain’s 210 shops, selling a range of popular Wilko products.
The Wilko tumbled into administration in August before a flurry of potential buyers expressed an interest.
But sadly, a buyer for the whole business couldn’t be found and it then announced all 400 shops would close by October.
Wilko’s last remaining sites shut for good on Sunday, October 8.
A flurry of rivals bought a handful of stores.
Among those was Poundland, which purchased 71 stores, with the first opening earlier this month.
B&M also agreed to buy up to 51 locations in a £13million deal.
These locations haven’t been announced yet, but will open as B&M shops.
In September, administrators confirmed they had agreed the sale of the retailer’s brand name to The Range in a £5million deal.
The deal has since seen the Wilko website reopen.
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As part of the agreement, which also includes Wilko’s intellectual property, 36 jobs were saved as the employees transferred over.
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