KINGFISHER is so impressed by the success of its Big W store in Edinburgh that the retail group, which owns Woolworths, Comet, Superdrug and B&Q, is rolling out a further nine Wal-Mart style megastores in the same format across the UK.
The first will open in Coventry on Friday. The next two will be Bristol and Rotherham in March. By the end of 2000, Kingfisher aims to open a total of 10 Big W stores creating 2000 jobs.
Like Wal-Mart in the US,
Big W sells clothing, hardware,
beauty and entertainment products at low prices under one roof.
The pilot outlet opened in June and attracted 30,000 shoppers in its first three days of trading.
Kingfisher operations director Bob Hetherington said: ''We are absolutely delighted by the way our customers have reacted to this new concept and our board has recognised that this is a winning formula, hence the ambitious
roll-out programme''.
All the Big Ws will have at least 70,000 sq ft of retail space and will offer a range of 53,000 products. These include books, videos, CDs and toys, clothing, cosmetics, furniture and garden equipment.
However, unlike Wal-Mart, which owns Asda supermarkets in the UK, Big Ws will not sell groceries.
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