WILKO has revealed that opening a store in Worcester had been a priority for some time.

We revealed in June last year there were rumours the budget chain could be coming to the city following the closure of Monsoon, Dorothy Perkins and Burton.

And this week it was announced that the homeware store was the latest to sign up to the Cathedral Square development.

A spokesman for the company said: "Wilko is delighted to announce it will open a new store at Cathedral Square in Worcester towards the end of the year.

"Worcester has been a priority location for us for some time and Cathedral Square is a fantastic retail location, so we are thrilled to have secured this space.

"We can’t wait for Worcester residents to see our wide range of products at everyday stay low prices, we know shoppers will be impressed by the quality and value we have to offer."

It will be the largest letting in the city centre in seven years and follows Salmon Harvester Opportunity Fund’s £20million transformation of Cathedral Square.

The new development, which has already seen the demolition of the former Gifford Hotel and transformation of the roundabout at Deansway, is on track to open in the summer.

Wilko Retail Ltd has signed a 10-year lease, at a rent of £380,000 pa, on a 20,000 sq ft unit.

Its new store is being created for the retailer from the former Dorothy Perkins store and the former Lychgate Mall.

Worcester News website users have been in favour of the new arrival in the city with 81 per cent in our poll saying they were pleased the brand was coming to Worcester.

Twelve per cent replied to say they weren't pleased and the rest answered 'don't know'.

Shoppers currently have to travel to Droitwich or Malvern to find their nearest Wilko stores.