At the time, the retailer said it had made offers of employment to more than 800 former Wilko employees.

A spokesperson for Poundland reportedly said: “The Ellesmere Port store sadly hasn’t met our trading expectations despite all our efforts.

“While we know how disappointing this will be to colleagues, we expect to be able to find roles for them at nearby stores such as Bromborough and Chester.”

The shop closed as Wilko on September 17, 2023.

Wilko is yet to reveal the dates these shops will open, but said timings would be announced “shortly”, alongside news of more store openings.

The Range also now stocks Wilko products in its stores.

CEO of CDS Superstores, trading as The Range and wilko, Alex Simpkin said last month: “The initial reaction to the new concept stores has been even better than we’d hoped, we’ve seen queues of both returning and new customers at the store launches and the feedback is giving us the confidence we need to continue with our store opening plans.

“We’re in advanced negotiations with a number of landlords and are continuing to review all options as a part of our roll-out plan. Any interested agents or landlords should get in touch.

“We’ll continue to endeavour to give ex-wilko employees priority as a part of the recruitment process for the new stores.”