CDS Superstores, owner of The Range and Wilko, has created the new role of head of property in a sign of its ambition to expand.
The business has appointed Antony Darbyshire, who comes to the post with 30 years’ retail property experience for brands including Sports Direct and, most recently, Matalan.
Darbyshire will be particularly responsible for the continued rollout of stores under the Wilko brand, which CDS acquired from administrators last year.
So far, five new ‘concept’ Wilko stores have opened – in Exeter, Luton, Plymouth, Rotherham and St Albans – with the sixth set to begin trading in Poole tomorrow (16 August).
CDS said it wanted to expand the chain across the UK and Northern Ireland.
Darbyshire will also spearhead increasing the portfolio of The Range stores, of which there are already over 200 nationwide, with recent new openings in locations including Neath and Widnes.
“We are thrilled to welcome Antony to our leadership team,” said CDS Superstores CEO Alex Simpkin.
“His extensive experience and expertise in property management are exactly what we need as we accelerate our expansion plans and build on our success to date. Antony will play a critical role in ensuring that both The Range and Wilko continue to thrive and reach even more communities across the UK.
“We are particularly excited about the opportunities to regrow the Wilko brand through our innovative new concept stores and encourage landlords with suitable spaces to proactively contact us regarding potential occupancy as we ramp up our store launch programme.”
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