Wilkinson (retailer)
 |
|
| Private | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1930 |
| Headquarters | Worksop, England, UK |
|
Number of locations
|
387 (2016) |
|
Key people
|
Lisa Wilkinson, Director Sean Toal, Chief Operating Officer |
| Products | Basic groceries, toiletries, consumer goods, DIY, stationery, pet supplies |
| Revenue |
 £1,501 million (2014) |
 £67 million (2014) |
|
| Owner | Tony Wilkinson and Lisa Wilkinson (100%) |
| Website | www |
Wilko Retail Ltd. (formerly Wilkinson Hardware Stores) is a British high-street chain which sells homewares and household goods.
Founded in 1930 as Wilkinson Cash Stores by James Kemsey Wilkinson in Leicester, the company has remained largely in the hands of the founding family. When Tony Wilkinson, the son of the founder, retired as chairman after 45 years in June 2005, he was replaced by his niece, Karin Swann, and his daughter, Lisa Wilkinson. In 2014, Karin Swann sold her family's 50% holding in the business to Lisa Wilkinson.
The Wilko product range concentrates on household essentials, including homewares, textiles, DIY, cleaning products, health and beauty lines, stationery, confectionery, pet products and kitchen and bathroom goods. A large proportion of the range is made up of own-label products sold under the Wilko brand, but like other retailers, Wilko has started to use private label brands. Wilko sells seasonal lines such as gardening products in the summer as well as Christmas decorations and an expanded toys and games range from September to January.
The first Wilkinson store was opened in Leicester in 1930, increasing to a total of nine branches by 1940; the Beaconsfield store can be seen in the background in the film Brief Encounter (1945). By the end of the 1980s, the Wilkinson chain had a total of 78 stores, increasing to over 150 by the time of the founder's death, in 1997.
Wilkinson opened its Scottish outlet in Castle Douglas on 23 January 2009, in a store formerly occupied by The Co-operative Group. Stores were subsequently opened in Scotland that same year in Motherwell on 17 July, in Irvine in November and in Clydebank on 2 December. In 2010, the stores planned for Scotland to open were Hamilton, Kilmarnock, Greenock and Livingston.
...
Wikipedia