Wilko


Wilko

Known for providing value for money for homeware and household goods, Wilko is a popular chain of stores that can be found all over the UK. Probably still better known in it’s former branding of “Wilkinson”, it actually rebranded to “Wilko” in 2012. Kitchen appliances, DIY tools and materials, pet food and accessories, health and beauty, toys, garden equipment, stationery, homewares, home decoration equipment, home electricals, soft furnishings, greetings cards, snacks, haircare, cosmetics, seasonal goods, cleaning products, furniture, kitchen equipment and gardening equipment are the main categories of goods available at great value at the more than 400 Wilko stores in the United Kingdom. They also have an online store that allows customers to order products and have them delivered straight to their doorstep.

Wilko Opening Times and Locations

With more than 400 Wilko stores across the United Kingdom, there is a good chance that one will not be located too far from anyone. As you might expect, the majority of these stores will be found in major cities such as London, Sheffield, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester, Birmingham, and Cardiff but even many larger towns will have one situated nearby.

Their famous logo which is white and yellow lettering on a red background makes them easy to spot and with so many products to choose from, you are sure to find exactly what you are looking for once you get inside. Normally found on high streets, industrial estates and retail parks, Wilko opening times vary but most branches are open seven days a week. Between Monday and Friday, Wilko opening times are usually between 8.30 AM and 8 PM, 8.30 AM and 7 PM on Saturdays and between 11 AM and 5 PM on Sundays.

As with most retail stores, Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Easter Monday, Good Friday and all other public holidays will bring alterations to Wilko opening hours due to local and national restrictions.  Find the Wilko opening times for a branch near you by using the online store locator.

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Wilko

Wilko might have been around for close to 100 years in the UK but we can bet that at least a few of these five facts will not be known by many:

  1. Wilko is still a family run business currently run by Lisa Wilkinson, the granddaughter of the founder James Kemsey Wilkinson
  2. The store was previously known as Wilkinson Hardware Store before being rebranded in 2012
  3. Wilko stocks and sells more than 14,000 Wilko-branded products and as many as 200,000 other products both offline and online
  4. Wilko never builds new stores and sticks to their remit of buying redundant properties from other stores
  5. Wilko runs the ‘Together for Families’ programme in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society, Save the Children and the Teenage Cancer Trust

Products and Services

Wilko started out as a hardware store back in its early years but over time it has become more of a discount store that sells a wide range of goods at knockdown prices. Home appliances, electrical goods, DIY and decorating tools and materials,  kitchen and dining products, toys and games and health and beauty products are the most popular categories at Wilko and they have an extensive range of each.

They also provide seasonal products such as Christmas decorations, Mothers’ Day and Valentine's Day gifts and are known for their regular promotions that offer even greater savings. During school holidays they will stock everything that you need to get for your kids for their next term so that you get good value for money and everything in the same place.

A Brief History

Wilko was launched more than 85 years ago back in 1930 with their first store being located in Leicester. Back then they were primarily a hardware store that sold DIY and decorating goods which had a strong interest in developing their own branded products. Wilko-branded paint was their first foray into their very own goods and this would expand to the close-to 15,000 Wilko own products today.

Within ten years the business had literally grown tenfold with there now being nine Wilko stores in the UK. This growth continued over the next 50-years and by the time the 1990’s rolled in, Wilko was running just under 90 stores. A further explosion in growth so that number almost double to 150 stores by the time the founder James Kensey Wilkinson passed away in 1997.

Despite his death, Wilko continued to grow to what it is today with more than 400 stores, a burgeoning online store and a reputation for always offering good quality goods at budget prices.

More Department stores in the UK

Wilko closed? Then try one of the other Department stores nearby.