Wilko
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1930 |
| Headquarters | Worksop, UK |
Number of locations | 359 (October 2009) |
Key people | Karin Swann (Chairwoman) Lisa Wilkinson (Chairwoman) Stuart Mitchell (CEO) |
| Products | Basic Groceries, Consumer goods, DIY, Stationery, Pets |
| Revenue |  £1,364 million (2008)[1] |
| £85 million (2007) | |
| Website | www.wilkinsonplus.com |
Wilkinson (sometimes informally Wilko, Wilks or Wilky's) is a British high-street discount chain with over 300 stores, selling primarily homewares and household goods.
Founded in the 1930s as Wilkinson Cash Stores by James Kemsey Wilkinson, the company has remained largely in the hands of the founding family since. When chairman Tony Wilkinson, the son of the founder, retired as Chairman after 45 years in 2005, he was replaced by his niece, Karin Swann, and his daughter, Lisa Wilkinson.
Product Range
The Wilkinson product range concentrates on household essentials, including homewares, textiles, DIY, cleaning products, health & 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.
Seasonal ranges are introduced on a rotational basis, with garden tools and plants in summer and Christmas decorations and toys from September to January.
During 2007, the company also introduced a grocery range and "food to go" offering in some larger stores. Also in November 2007, the company opened its first convenience style store.
Stores and Distribution
The first Wilkinson store was opened in Leicester in 1930, increasing to a total of nine branches by 1940. By the end of 1980s Wilkinson had a total of 78 stores, increasing to over 150 by the time of the founder's death in 1997[2].
Wilkinson opened their first Scottish outlet in Castle Douglas on 23 January 2009 in a store formerly occupied by The Co-operative Group[3]. This was followed by a second Scottish store a store in Motherwell on 17th July. A third Scottish store is due to open in Irvine sometime in November and a fourth one in Clydebank in December.
By October 2009, Wilkinson had a total of 359 stores nationwide, with stores averaging in excess of 17,000 sq ft (1,600 m2), and employing over 22,000 people in total.
The company has two distribution centres:
- D.C.1 & Head Office (including a store for current team members only) - based in Manton Wood, Worksop, Nottinghamshire.
- D.C.2 - based in Magor, South Wales.
Marketing
Wilkinson's advertising is concentrated in the press, such as through inserts included with local newspapers. Advertising empasises value for money, with in-store promotion encouraging customers to purchase more than one item when they visit the store.
A refereshed version of the Wilkinson brand was unveiled in 2008. Designed by Jupiter Creative[4], the brand was showcased in new format stores in Thornaby, Sheffield,Leicester, Newton Aycliffe and Walton-on-Thames, as well as the Castle Douglas & Motherwell stores in Scotland. Elements of the new brand have been phased in more widely since including point-of-sale materials, carrier bags and a relaunched website. Stores in Nottingham and Retford have also recently been converted to the new look and feel format.
Incentives
Wilkinson has launched a Saving Stamp Scheme across all its stores. Although not an unusual practice in the retail market, it is unique to Wilkinson because it has never launched any kind of loyalty or saving incentives in the past, preferring to concentrate on its 'Everytime' value promise.
Customers buy stamps at a cost of £1 each, which are placed into a savings booklet. They then receive a reward of £1 for every 19 stamps they purchase, effectively giving them a 5% discount for every £20 they spend in store. Employees of the company are offered a 13% discount at all Wilkinson Stores after four weeks service, as well as the same discount on products in the Wilkinson Plus catalogue.
Financial success
Turnover for the year to 1 February 2008 was £1.364 billion.[1][5]
| Year ending | Turnover (£m) | Trading profit (£m) | Pre-Tax profit (£m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 February 2008[1] | 1,364 | 50.3 | |
| 27 January 2007[6] | 1,246 | 85 | 48.4 |
| 27 January 2006[7] | 1,135 | 25.7 | |
| 1 January 2005[8] | 1,116 | 54.3 | |
| 1 January 2004[9] | 1,045 | 56.5 | |
| 31 January 2003[10] | 922 | 44.7 | |
| 2 February 2002[11] | 817 | 36.6 |
References
- ^ a b c "Wilkinson reports robust sales growth". IGD Retail Analysis. 5 August, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ http://corporate.wilkinsonplus.com/corp/wilkinson_our_history.asp?SubMenu=AboutUs
- ^ http://www.retail-week.com/wilkinson-to-open-first-store-in-scotland/1437591.article
- ^ "The home of family value: a new-look brand unveiled for Wilkinson". Jupiter Creative. 2008-12-12. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
- ^ Wilkinson Hardware Stores Ltd
- ^ FastTrack 100 - 2007
- ^ FastTrack 100 - 2006
- ^ FastTrack 100 - 2005
- ^ FastTrack 100 - 2004
- ^ FastTrack 100 - 2003
- ^ FastTrack 100 - 2002