Wickes plans to open 70 new sites over the next few years as it reported stronger sales, despite a slump in consumer confidence that has rocked the rest of the retail sector.
The home improvement giant said it had grown across all three areas of its business and would now target 300 shops over the next few years, creating 2,000 new jobs.
It comes despite pressure on consumer demand for ‘big ticket’ items, as households face stubborn energy and grocery bills, which are fuelling cost of living concerns.
The expansion plans follow Wickes’ opening of five new shops last year, including former Homebase shops. This means it now operates 230 stores – mostly from a new format of smaller stores.
Wickes has done well despite consumers facing higher bills and pressure on the housing market
It said it expects to open 4-5 new stores this year, and ‘refit or refresh’ between 15 and 20, with a roll-out ‘accelerating’ from 2028 onwards, when it expects to open 10+ new stores per year.
Despite tough times for households, Wickes said its sales rose 6 per cent to £1.6billion and pre-tax profit grew from £23million to £49million, in the year to 27 December 2025.
David Wood, chief executive of Wickes, said: ‘This has been another year of strong progress against our strategy. We’ve achieved volume-driven growth across all three areas of the business, as the strength of our proposition continues to resonate with customers.
‘Given the strength of investment returns from our proven store refit and new store rollout strategy, we have today announced the decision to accelerate our investment for future growth.
‘This takes our ambition to reach 300 stores nationwide – creating over 2,000 new jobs as we bring Wickes’ distinctive offer to new locations up and down the UK.’
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