Wilko has revealed it will be making a return to the UK’s high streets and retail parks with five new ‘concept stores’ before 2023 is out.
And one of those new stores is to open here in the North, the retailer has confirmed.
We all know by now that it’s been a turbulent couple of months for Wilko after it entered administration back in early September, with an initial outlook indicating that all the retailer’s branches nationwide would be forced to close and around 12,500 jobs would be left at risk.
But following this initially-crushing news, it was announced that Pepco Group, the company which owns Poundland in the UK, had managed to strike a deal with Wilko administrators PwC to take control of up to 71 store leases and convert them into Poundland branches by the end of this year – a process which has now already begun, with several in Greater Manchester having opened.
Wilko confirms new northern store as it outlines plans to reopen before end of 2023 / Credit: Wilko (via X)
It was then revealed a few weeks after that another retail competitor, The Range, had also swooped in and snapped-up Wilko’s website and intellectual property, meaning it would relaunch the brand and begin trading on thousands of product lines, both in its 200 stores and online, in the very near future.
ADVERTISEMENT
So while it originally looked like Wilko would be no more once the administration news was first announced, this has turned out to be anything but the case.
And now, the retailer has announced its biggest news yet – an actual return to the UK’s high streets and retail parks before 2023 draws to a close.
ADVERTISEMENT
Following the re-launch of https://t.co/9GmoPi78Zo and the announcement that wilko products are to be sold in The Range’s 200 stores, what quickly became clear is that wilko is still plays a part in people’s everyday lives.
Ahead of the nationwide roll-out of its new online store, Wilko has announced that five standalone ‘concept’ stores will open before Christmas, with the first two being in Plymouth and Exeter, closely followed by two in the South East and one in the North – the locations of which are set to be announced “imminently”, the retailer has revealed.
The new stores will offer shoppers “everything they need to get all their homes and garden jobs done”.
“Great value items” across categories including cleaning and household, decorating and DIY, garden and outdoor, homeware, pets and wildlife, storage, seasonal celebrations – such as Christmas – and more, are all set to be on sale.
ADVERTISEMENT
We plan to give ex-wilko employees priority as a part of the recruitment process for the new stores.
“The public reaction to the loss of Wilko stores was undeniable,” explained Alex Simpkin, who is the CEO of CDS Superstores.
“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, so 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.”
He also added that CDS Superstores will “endeavour” to give ex-Wilko employees priority as a part of the recruitment process for the new stores.
Featured Image – Wilko
News
Manchester set to host five UEFA EURO 2028 matches – including England’s opening game
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed to be the host of five matches at the upcoming UEFA EURO tournament in 2028.
This also, crucially, would include England‘s opening match, should they qualify directly.
The joint announcement by Manchester City and Manchester City Council today comes as UEFA has now released key details about the UK & Ireland 2028 competition – which, as it stands, is less than 1,000 days away.
It has been confirmed that the Etihad Stadium – which is known as The City of Manchester Stadium when not relating to Manchester City football club – will host four Group Stage matches across four different groups, offering both local and international football fans the chance to see a range of different national teams in action.
On top of this, Manchester will also be the host a Round of 16 knockout match as the tournament progresses.
UEFA EURO 2028 will kick off at the National Stadium of Wales in Cardiff on Friday 9 June 2028, culminating in the Final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 9 July 2028.
Across the UK and Ireland, nine stadiums will host matches during the upcoming tournament – with other northern stadiums including Everton Stadium in Liverpool, and St James’ Park over in Newcastle.
More than three million tickets – as sold by UEFA – are set to be available for the tournament, and more information on this will be issued in due course.
Following an independent assessment, UEFA EURO 2028 is expected to generate up to £3.6 billion in socio-economic benefits for the UK and Ireland between 2028 and 2031, with benefits including job creation, regional growth, and direct spending from international visitors.
The countdown has started in Manchester for #EURO2028!
Five matches are scheduled to be played here – including England's opener if they qualify – and more than 300,000 fans will be welcomed to the city in June 2028.
“We’re a city where football runs deep in our DNA, and we’re counting down the days to UEFA Euro 2028.”
Featured Image – The Manc Group
News
NHS set to make thousands of staff redundant after being given go-ahead
Emily Sergeant
Thousands of NHS staff are set to be made redundant after the £1 billion needed to fund them was approved by the Government.
The Government had already announced earlier this year its intention to cut the headcount across both NHS England and the Department of Health by around 18,000 administrative staff and managers, including on local health boards.
But before this was to happen, the HM Treasury had to approve the funds first.
National news outlets such as the BBC and Sky News are reporting that the Treasury has not granted additional funding, which is something that Health Secretary Wes Streeting is understood to have been pushing for.
But the NHS will, however, be permitted to overspend its budget this year to pay for redundancies – with the aim that it will recoup the costs further down the line.
The NHS is set to make thousands of staff redundant after being the given go-ahead by the Government / Credit: Pxhere
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has been in Manchester this week at the NHS Providers’ Conference, where he addressed attendees to announce the redundancies move saying: “Headcount across my department and NHS England will be halved, returning to the size we had in 2010 when the NHS delivered the shortest waiting times and highest patient satisfaction in history.”
He also told delegates at the conference that there was ‘no money to waste’, given the state of public finances.
According to the Department of Health, the redundancies and overall reforms to NHS England will cut ‘unnecessary bureaucracy’ and raise £1 billion a year to improve services for patients.
Today, we're announcing the next steps in modernising our NHS so we can invest more into patient care.
By cutting bureaucracy, our plans will mean an extra £1 billion a year for NHS services – enough to fund an extra 116,000 hip and knee operations. https://t.co/3LbJsuexW0pic.twitter.com/r3Aiix80yX
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) November 12, 2025
It said that every £1 billion saved in bureaucracy costs is enough to fund an extra 116,000 hip and knee operations.
NHS Providers’ Chief Executive Daniel Elkeles has called the move a ‘pragmatic step’ that means planned redundancies can now go ahead.
“It reflects the flexibility of a three-year settlement, allowing some funding to be brought forward in order to generate future savings to go into frontline care,” he added in a statement this week.
“However, we must recognise the position of staff affected by these changes, who face a very uncertain future.”
Emily Sergeant -
30th October 2023 
