Express & Star

Hundreds flock to opening of Wolverhampton's new Wilko store

Hundreds of people queued up for the opening of Wilko in the Mander Centre.

Published
Wilko was opened in the Mander Centre.

Crowds flocked to the opening of the 24,000 sq ft store after it moved from its home on St George’s Parade.

Wilko's store fronts onto Dudley in part of the unit once occupied by BHS in the city.

Deputy mayor of Wolverhampton, Councillor Greg Brackenridge, was on-hand for the opening on Friday.

Richard Scharenguivel, the manager of the Mander Centre, said: “Wilko joins a very strong brand line-up in the centre with Matalan and B&M opening earlier this year, the successful transfer of New Look into a new 17,000 sq ft unit and works are under way to move Bodycare into a larger and more modern store in the centre.”

Jonathon Ratnage, retail sector specialist at Benson Elliot, which owns the centre, added: “Wilko is the fifth new store to open in 2019 and with all the recently opened or relocated stores trading well we are looking forward to more major new openings in the New Year.

We are constantly seeking to improve the retail offer for our West Midlands customers, ensuring bigger and better reasons to shop in the city centre and consolidating both Wolverhampton and the Mander Centre as the city’s pre-eminent customer destination.”