news Wickes sets sights on 300 stores


has announced a new long-term goal of increasing its total number of stores to 300 over the next several years. The retailer says it expects to open


four or five new stores this year, as well as refreshing 15 to 25 locations. However, Wickes says its rollout


“will accelerate from 2028”, when it expects to be opening upwards of 10 new stores and refreshing a further 20 stores every year. As part of its long-term store


AFTER SEEINGGROWTH across all three areas of its business in 2025, national DIY retailer Wickes


estate expansion, Wickes will reportedly focus on “white space opportunities and under-served larger towns and cities”.


To prepare for this new goal,


Wickes says it will spend 2026 and 2027 “securing [its] future property pipeline by


identifying the most


optimal locations, securing appropriate commercial terms with landlords, gaining planning permissions and managing construction”. According to Wickes, a number of


its existing stores are already trading successfully


with a full Wickes


format but in a smaller footprint. As a result, Wickes believes that making use of smaller store footprints will enable it to target more potential locations, allowing it to serve areas


with lower population numbers. Currently, Wickes says it has


around 230 stores across the UK, meaning the retailer will have to open another 70 retail locations to hit its new goal. Looking back over the last year,


Wickes says it opened a total of five new stores, located in Leeds Moor Allerton, Bury St Edmunds, Dunfermline, Southport and Northampton Riverside – four of which were former Homebase stores. Additionally, Wickes confirmed it


closed three stores in 2025, which were


operating in Muswell Croydon, and Southport. Saniflo to relocate to bigger premises this month


SANIFLO UK HAS announced plans to relocate to a “significantly larger premises” sitated near to its current location, which the company says marks a major milestone for its growth. The move is scheduled to take place over the Bank Holiday weekend covering May 2 to 4, with Saniflo expecting to be “fully operational at its new address” from May 5. The new site will provide the company with an additional 10,000 sq ft of warehouse space, which Saniflo says will allow it to increase its stock capacity, as well as strengthen its service levels across the country.


director in 2023, the team had been in our current premises for five years, which was an upgrade on the former offices in Ruislip,” explained Dave Cook, Saniflo’s managing director. “Now, thanks to growth of the business and an


In addition, Saniflo has also invested significantly


into opening a new on-site training centre, which it says will enable its team to deliver comprehensive product training on topics such as installation, maintenance and fault finding. “When I joined the business as managing


increase in the product range, we have already outgrown where we are. He continued: “The opportunity to relocate just a


short distance up the road to larger premises came up and it suited our needs to allow for further growth and future proofing our business. “Our move is scheduled for May 2026 and the team are excited to enter our next chapter.”


Sonas unveils new UK distribution hub plans


THREE YEARS AFTER its entry into the UK market,


Sonas says Sonas


Bathrooms has announced it plans to open a new distribution centre in the West Midlands. Located in Redditch, the new 60,000 sq ft distribution centre is currently scheduled to be open in August 2026, with Sonas saying the investment represents the next phase of its structured expansion into the UK market. This follows a reported compound


annual growth rate of 125% for its first three years in the UK, along with four decades of success in Ireland.


6 the new site will


become the central base of its UK distribution operations, serving as a hub for the company to co-ordinate packaging and deliveries. Sonas also believes the new


facility will be able to improve its supply reliability, allowing the company to reduce delivery time to just 24 hours for more than 500 existing UK retail partners. According to Sonas, the new site will have capability to hold a significant amount of the brand’s stock, strengthening its ability to support retailers, merchants and


installers with reliable availability. To help support this, Sonas has


also invested in new warehouse technology, which has been designed to replicate its proven operation model in Ireland. This includes an advanced


warehouse management system with integrated voice-picking technology, which Sonas says enables it to achieve 99.9% accuracy for packaging deliveries. Ahead of the site’s launch later


this year, Sonas Bathrooms CEO Richard Sloan said: “The opening of our UK distribution centre reflects


kbbreview


the strength of our UK expansion which has taken place over the past three years.” Sloan continued: “Our growth in the UK has been sustained and consistent, and this investment ensures our infrastructure keeps pace with demand.”


May 2026 Hill,


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