Merchant Exchange
The new Ripon Road branch has a kitchen and bathroom showroom and rooftop solar panels, and has created 21 jobs.
Wickes opened its new Harrogate store on Ripon Road on 21 October, introducing what the retailer says is its smallest store format to date. Harrogate councillor Viv Poskit officially opened the branch.
The store has 10,835 sq ft of ground-floor space and a 3,200 sq ft mezzanine housing a dedicated kitchen and bathroom showroom, where design consultants offer Wickes’ free design service. Digital screens throughout the store showcase products and services. Wickes also offers installation, 15-minute Click & Collect and a Rapid Delivery service that brings local orders to the door within three hours for an additional £6.
For trade customers, the branch stocks timber, power tools and cement from brands including Bosch, Blue Circle and Knauf. TradePro members get 10% off every purchase.
The branch employs 21 colleagues, 19 of them external hires. It also has 100 rooftop solar panels with a combined capacity of 30kW, which Wickes expects to generate about 41,880kWh of electricity a year.
Wickes Head of Property Kate Thompson said the new store has been “designed to make the most of the space” and is intended to help customers plan their projects with confidence.
The Wickes Community Programme has also launched in Harrogate. The store is donating supplies to local charity Mind Harrogate to build a partitioned corridor, so visitors can reach the toilets without disturbing counselling sessions. The charity says this will protect confidentiality and let it offer more one-to-one sessions.
To mark the opening, Wickes is offering 15% off in store from 30 October to 1 November, with a Dulux decorating event on Saturday 31 October.
