James Kemsey (JK) Wilkinson opened his first Wilkinson Cash Store, in Leicester, in 1930. The company changed its name to Wilkinson Hardware Stores Limited in 1941, and continued to expand in the East Midlands area, particularly in the post war boom years. By 1969, the business operated 28 stores, a number which had risen to 38 by 1979, and 78 by 1989. Further expansion in the 1990s led to there being 152 stores by the end of that decade, and by 2009 this number had risen further to 324 stores across the UK. The Wilkinson Plus website was established in 2005, and catalogues are also produced to complement the store network. As well as being able to have orders delivered to your home, collections can also be made from a store.
"You have been shopping with Wilkinson for more than seventy-five years and in that time we have been driven to provide you with high quality affordable products matched with a friendly and helpful smile. Our passion to meet your needs and offer you a wide range of the best quality everyday essentials and home decoration items at affordable prices has seen us welcome more than four million of you into our stores every week.
Our vision is to provide you with what you want, when you need it at irresistible value with the warm Wilko welcome you have come to expect."
Wilkinson Plus, via their website and catalogues, offers a huge range of non-food products at everyday prices. Wilkinson Plus is primarily focused on furniture, a wide range of other home and garden goods, toys and games, electricals and DIY.
As well as a dedicated deals section on the website, containing all items that have been reduced in price, the website also has an everyday value '97p' shop.
Customers can elect to have their orders delivered to a Wilkinson store of their choice, at no charge, and this usually takes around four working days. Orders delivered to your home cost just £5.50 if they consist of small items only, but there is a charge of £20 for a small number of larger items. Wilkinson Plus also offers a 28 day return policy for the majority of products.
"Even before the Woolworths stores closed down, Wilkinson had overtaken them in terms of range, quality and price. I also like the fact that you can order what you want from home and then collect it from store without having to pay any delivery charges."
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