Introduction
Businesses must respond to change in order to remain competitive. Developing appropriate
strategies which allow them to move forward is essential. Wilkinson is a prime example of a
business that has responded to changing customer needs throughout its history. It is one of
the UK’s long-established retailers of a wide range of food, home, garden, office, health and
beauty products.
James Kemsey (JK) Wilkinson opened his first Wilkinson Store in Charnwood Street, Leicester in
1930. After the Second World War, the 1950s saw a rise in the use of labour-saving devices and
DIY. Wilkinson responded by making this type of product the focus of its sales. In the 1960s
customers wanted more convenience shopping. Wilkinson started selling groceries and
supermarket goods and created the Wilko brand. In the 1980s Wilkinson extended its range of
low-cost products to include quality clothing, toys, toiletries and perfumes. In 1995 it opened a
central distribution centre in Worksop,
serving stores in the north of England and
in 2004, a new distribution centre opened
in Wales. In 2005 Wilkinson launched its
Internet shopping service, offering over
800,000 product lines for sale online.
Wilkinson currently has over 300 stores,
which carry an average of 25,000 product
lines. 40% of these are Wilko ‘own-brand’
products. The company’s target is to see
this element grow and to have over 500
stores by 2012.
Wilkinson’s growth places it in the top 30 retailers in the UK. Recently it has faced increasing
challenges from competitors, such as the supermarket sector. Wilkinson needed to combat
this and identify new areas for growth. Over two years it conducted extensive market
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