The New Wilkinsons - But Does It Hit The Spot? (Wilkinsons)

Member Name: GramiWay

Product:	Wilkinsons
Date:	20/11/08 (112 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots more variety, friendly and helpful staff

Disadvantages: Still a bit pricey in some areas compared to competitors

Wilkinsons was actually launched in 1930 in my very own Leicester apparently :O Since then the store has expanded nationally with almost 500 stores in operation across the UK and recently our local branch has been undergoing some serious refurbishment. I'm not sure whether this is the case elsewhere however. The logo has changed and I admit it's much nicer and has that sort of IKEA feel to it, whilst also the products on offer have been expanded massively to include furniture, DIY stuff and even standard groceries. BUT does Wilkinsons' attempt to reach out to crowds in these credit crunching times live up to the hype?

Upon entering the store it definately has that modern, polished look to it. Gone are the messy shelf displays and horrible flooring that used to fill the store and in their place are neatly stacked and organised aisles. I always have found the staff to be friendly at Wilkinsons. I shop there a lot as a student to get discounts on toiletries and stationary which I think are the two areas where the store is strongest against its competitors. The staff are always willing to help you and will even take you to the product if you have trouble finding it, not just give you dodgy directions.

The groceries section is something new and there are a lot of everyday brands available such as Kellogs cereals or Hovis bread. However I feel that this move isn't really a good one as the prices seem to be pretty much the same as any other supermarket and in some cases more expensive. I think they cfould do with launching their own food brand like Asda Smartprice or such. Also the fact that only your basic items are sold is a disadvantage as people are bound to use major supermarkets as there would be more variety or heck even pop down to the corner shop to get essentials rather than trot all the way into town...

The new DIY section is very impressive with lots of furniture items on offer such as beds, chairs, bathroom units and duvets, cushions and even paint. I would say that the items on offer are very strong and the prices in this instance are really quite encouraging. However as the scheme is in its early stages there is still a lot missing and I think they could expand this further.
As I mentioned earlier the toiletries are of great value at Wilkinsons. You can usually find their own brand or more popular brands for very cheap prices. More so than most supermarkets or place slike Boots. Their own brand products are usually a lot more colourful than a standard white. My friend managed to spend 5 pounds on literally enough toiletry items for her and her small daughter to last for weeks.

Christmas also brings in all the festive offers and I think if you're looking for a toiletry set for somebody then this is the best place to go as popular brands such as Lynx are available for only 3.99 at the moment when I've seen them for 3 or 4 pound more in other places.

The plastic bags have been replaced by much stronger ones as before they always used to break, even when you didn;t actually have a lot in them, though one complaint I do have is how ridiculously small the tills seem to be and how crushed together they all are. There's hardly enough space to put all your items on and you would've thought that they would've made the area bigger considering they now stock more items.

Overall Wilkinsons is a pleasant place to shop with a whole variety of propducts that could really cut down your dash to various different stores down to just one.

Summary: Wilkinsons has gone all modern with a great result.