Wickes is trialling smaller format kitchen and bathroom stores in a bid to soak up market share left by the collapse of MFI in 2008.
The company has confirmed to DIY Week that the stores will open under the Wickes Kitchens & Bathrooms fascia and will range from 5,000sq ft to 10,000sq ft. They will be placed in a mixture of retail park and high street locations.

The first two stores opened at Christchurch in Dorset and Crawley in West Sussex last Thursday, with a third planned for London's West Hampstead.

As reported by DIY Week in February, Wickes' pre-tax profits soared from £10.2m to £57m in 2009. Kitchen and bathroom like-for-like sales for the full year were ahead by 27.7%, boosted largely by the demise of MFI.

According to Wickes managing director Jeremy Bird, kitchens and bathrooms are still performing extremely well and the retailer has taken market share again this year.