Vacant Wilko store in Chatham's Pentagon Shopping Centre on the market

Another former Wilko store could be given a new lease of life as the town centre unit has gone on the market. It comes after the national retailer announced it would be closing all of its stores as the brand fell into administration towards the end of last year.

A total of 13 branches were operating in Kent at the time of the announcement, all of which had then closed their doors for good by the end of October. Of these, four of the units were in Medway: Chatham; Rainham; Gillingham; and Strood.

Now, the Chatham Wilko branch - found in the Pentagon Shopping Centre - is being listed for rent by estate agent Jamieson Mills. And while the store covered two-floors when trading, only the ground floor is marketed to let - covering around 24,000 sq ft in total.

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This is due to the plans to totally repurpose the shopping centre’s first floor into a new healthy living centre and innovation hub. The cost of the rent has not been advertised and will be available on application.

Meanwhile, Rainham’s former Wilko unit has already been converted into a B&M store following a £13 million deal made last September, which will see the variety retailer take over up to 51 old Wilko shops across the country. B&M has also taken over the Wilko stores in Maidstone and Bexleyheath.

The Strood branch, along with the one in Ramsgate, have also made their way back onto the market. Elsewhere in Kent, a furniture store has moved into the old Wilko in Canterbury.

Earlier this year, KentLive headed out to Medway to see just how residents would like to see the old Wilko stores and you can read all about their ideas here.

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