Wilko has announced that it’s now welcoming four-legged friends inside over 200 of its stores across the UK for the first time.
The home and gardens retailer says it understands that “a pet is more than just a pet, they’re family”, which is why furry friends, on their leads if applicable, are now able browse all areas of the 248 participating stores (except for food aisles) following a successful trial period at two UK locations.
“We hope that shoppers will enjoy bringing their furry friends along with them,” Wilko said in a statement on its social media platforms yesterday.
Wilko explained that the participating stores allowing pets inside are primarily those with their own on-street entrance and exit, rather than those that are, for example, located in shopping centres that may not allow any animal guests, or where the entrance isn’t pet-friendly.
Signage at store entrances will make it clear if pets are welcome, although customers can also check with the store team if they are unsure.
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All service dogs and Guide Dogs are, of course, welcome at all stores nationwide.
Wilko says that it expects most of the pet customers will be either dogs or cats, and these four-legged shoppers are likely to find many products in-store that “get their tails wagging”.
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The retailer stocks everything from pet food and treats, to bedding, toys, cleaning supplies, healthy pet essentials, and even presents, costumes and accessories during key seasonal celebrations.
For other animal “family members”, Wilko is also home to reptile, bird, and fish pet supplies too.
It’s fair to say that the public reaction to the announcement has been mixed though.
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One concerned parent commented on Wilko’s Facebook post saying: “This is no good for my child that has anaphylaxis reactions to animal dander and saliva. Service dogs have their place in stores and we can avoid them and monitor, they are well behaved etc [but] pets do not belong in stores and raises the risk for my son to come in contact with areas that have been contaminated.”
“We won’t be shopping in your all dogs welcome stores,” they concluded.
Wilko says participating stores will primarily be those with their own on-street entrance and exit / Credit: Wilko
Another concerned shopper raised a similar point: “That’s ok if they are well behaved [but] I have a Guide Dog and find yaps on straps are enough of a pain outside the shops, so it’s going to be very interesting in a confined space down an aisle.
“My dog doesn’t want to talk to your dog, he’s working,” they said, and added: “Guide Dogs can get very stressed if a little dog is yapping around their legs.”
While there has been a fair amount of backlash and customers announcing that they will boycott the stores where pets are welcome, other shoppers have been complementary of the move Wilko has taken.
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“Brilliant, I wish all shops would do this,” one shopper said.
Wilko is yet to formally comment on the backlash by customers threatening to boycott the store.
Featured Image – Wilko
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We rediscovered an old Boddingtons advert and now we’re gasping for ‘the cream of Manchester’
Danny Jones
If you’re from Greater Manchester, the name Boddingtons likely needs no introduction, but if you’re new to the area or part of the generation that’s young enough to have never clocked the legendary logo before, the ‘Cream of Manchester’ was known for making a good advert or two.
Answers on a postcard? Yes, we of course are referring to the classic ice cream van ad that featured a young Melanie Sykes serving an ice-cold pint of Boddingtons to a thirsty athlete, played by former EastEnders actor Ken George.
In fact, the recognisable TV presenter and British household name went on to feature in a few of them, including a contemporary recreation back in 2017, but it isn’t any of her appearances that recently re-captured our attention.
The old ‘Boddies’ ad that we stumbled across in 2025, more than 30 years on from when it originally aired, is the Gondola/’Just One Cornetto’ spoof filmed right here in the city centre along Manchester’s famous canal network.
Circa 1993. Recognise where it is?
Just as beautiful as Venice, if you ask us – and that’s just the pint…
As you can see, not only did the once beloved Boddingtons advert capture a glimpse of the River Irwell near the old Granada Studios and how Manchester’s waterways used to look back in the day, but it was also a pretty modern, ironic take for the time.
Inspired by arguably one of the most famous ads of all time, the Boddies marketing team and director Jeff Stark didn’t just imitate or poke fun at Wall’s Cornetto ice cream: they played on the genuine nickname and imagery drummed up by locals who drank it week in, week out.
The famous frothy white head and the ‘do you want a Flake with that?’ is the kind of joke you still hear to this day when someone overdoes it with a Guinness, but turning the glass into a golden ice cream was a bit of genius.
In fact, the old Boddies ad even helped launch the career of stingy ‘Gladys Althorpe’ herself, Anna Chancellor, who went on to appear in What A Girl Wants, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and many more.
She and Sykes weren’t the only ones either; another admittedly sexually-charged campaign released roughly a year later featured another familiar face in Sarah Parish (Doctor Who, Trollied, The Wedding Date) – again, always ending with a stereotypically Manc, if not at least Northern, punchline.
It was smash hits like these that saw Boddingtons dubbed not only Manchester’s most famous beverage but ‘the Cream of Marketing‘ for a time as well.
The beer may not be as prominent as it once was, but its legacy as part of classic UK telly is up there with R Whites Lemonade, Dairy Milk, Compare The Meerkat, and so many more.
You can see a super-cut compilation of some of their retro ads HERE.
Oh yeah, and if watching all this has made you get a thirst on like it did us, you’ll be glad to hear that while it may be difficult to locate these days, there are still a few places you can find a pint of Boddies in and around the area.
Featured Images — advertarchive (screenshot via YouTube)
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Nearly 60% of Brits are too ‘uncomfortable’ to use the toilet at work, new survey finds
Emily Sergeant
The UK is currently in the middle of a toilet aversion epidemic, it would seem… or at least if the results of a new survey are anything to go by.
For some people, nipping to the loo at the work seems like a simple task as any, perhaps even a welcome break from the busyness or the monotony of their day-to-day duties, but for others it’s a much less pleasant experience – for a whole multitude of reasons, we might add.
Whether it be below-par facilites, a cleanliness choice, personal health reasons, or even something as simple as avoiding bathroom small talk with colleagues, a new survey by Victorian Plumbing has discovered that there is a widespread reluctance among UK employees to use workplace toilets – with more than half saying they find the experience ‘uncomfortable’.
The company’s new findings – taken from a survey of 1,000 Brits – uncovered that, overall, 57% feel uncomfortable using their workplace toilet.
Nearly 60% of Brits are too ‘uncomfortable’ to use the toilet at work / Credit: Point3D (via Unsplash)
As a result, two in five employees say they’ll only use their work bathroom when they are absolutely desperate to go, and more than one in 10 (13%) of employees admit that they avoid it at all costs, preferring to hold it in instead.
There was also some gender disparities in the results, as the study found that 26% of women admit they never use the workplace toilet for bowel movements, compared to just 9% of men, as for many women, it apparently comes down to the fear of being judged or feeling embarrassed (57%), encountering colleagues (55%), and being overheard (54%).
More than 4% of women said they’re more likely to use the toilet at work while on their period, however, and 18% cited that they have to due to medical conditions like endometriosis.
But do these actions have consequences? Of course they do.
Around one in 10 people will avoid going altogether / Credit: Victorian Plumbing
With the average employee spending more than 36 hours per week at work, according to recent statistics, avoiding the workplace toilet could likely cause some real damage, so it’s no surprise that 41% of Brits say holding it in during the work day causes them physical discomfort or pain.
A further 39% confessed that the habit leads to stress and anxiety, and three in 10 have found that it reduces their focus and productivity.
The results from the survey are what prompted Victorian Plumbing to create the ‘Superior Stalls Policy’, which aims to inspire employers to reconsider their workplace bathroom setups so employees are more comfortable.
“Brits feel far less comfortable using workplace toilets than their own at home, and this doesn’t sit right with us,” commented Alex Woods, who is a bathroom expert at Victorian Plumbing.
“Yes, there’s no place like your own toilet, but with the average Brit spending over 36 hours a week at work, everyone deserves to feel at ease – even in the loo.”
Featured Image – Possessed Photography (via Unsplash)
Emily Sergeant -
8th February 2022 
