Hundreds of shoppers queued for up to two hours as household and garden retailer Wilko reopened its Poole store today.
The Poole site in the Dolphin shopping centre is one of the brand’s new concept stores.
The previous Wilko closed last October after the collapse of the store giant.
Billionaire businessman Chris Dawson, pictured, who bought the brand and now plans to reopen hundreds of Wilko stores, said he was delighted to begin trading again in Poole.
He told Bournemouth One: “We like Poole, it’s a very spendy town.
“Even I didn’t expect a queue this big.
“It’s gone right round the top block, down the escalators and. apparently, there’s a queue to get into the car park.
“We like Poole, we’ve always liked Poole.”
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held to mark the store’s opening.
Prizes and goody bags were on offer for the first 50 shoppers in the queue.
Among the attractions on the opening day was the Dulux dog, Olivia, who appears in the paint company’s TV commercials.
The 23,500 sq ft store also features an Iceland concession.