A well-known high street retailer is set to move into a new store in Derby city centre next week. B&M will open its huge new 25,000-square-foot store at the former Wilko site on London Road on Friday, July 26 and says it will create 27 jobs in the city.
The old Wilko store shut its doors for the final time on October 8, 2023. The store, housed in Victoria Chambers next to Cosmo, has undergone a comprehensive internal and external refurbishment programme before the grand opening next week, a spokesperson has said. It added that customers can expect to find a wide variety of branded groceries, including a range of food, drink, and pet food.
There will also be a selection of health and beauty products, homeware, electricals, DIY essentials, toys, games, gifts, and plenty more to explore. The colleagues were also asked to nominate a local charity they think truly deserves some VIP treatment for the work they do for the local community and chose the team from the Hope Centre to take centre stage and officially unveil the new B&M store.
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The Hope Centre is a service that supports people in crisis including young people, the elderly, low-income families, children, single parents, refugees and asylum seekers of all faiths and backgrounds. These services currently include their Food Bank which provides three-day emergency food to those in need, the Hope Store which provides good quality donated clothing, toiletries, and kitchen equipment to those assessed as needing this service and Lunch Club for over 50s.
Their aim is to tackle poverty experienced by individuals in families across their local community, they do this through 1-2-1 support, directing to other agencies and challenging wrong decisions. They provide a safe and welcoming environment for individuals to grow and face the daily challenge of difficult situations.
The store manager from B&M said: “We’re feeling extremely positive about the creation of more jobs for local people, and we hope customers are going to be delighted with their new store. The Hope Centre really stood out for us, so we wanted to give them some VIP treatment as a thank you for all the hard work that they have done. We hope that our donation can help them to continue the great work they do.”
Richard Blackmore, head of special projects at East Midlands Chamber, said: “A large new store like this means new jobs, more footfall into Derby city centre and that can only be really welcome news in boosting the economy, as shoppers then go on to look at other nearby stores, grab a coffee or something to eat and spend more time in the city.”
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