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.
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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.
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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.
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 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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