Thanet (Broadstairs), Sittingbourne and Basildon (Vange) have been confirmed by Bunnings as the locations of the sixth, seventh and eighth UK pilot stores.

Bunnings have confirmed that teams in its existing stores have been made aware, adding: “We will be closed over the next few months so we can bring the Bunnings Warehouse and the very best home improvement and garden offer to these communities.”

Official opening dates have yet to be confirmed by the team.

A spokesperson for Bunnings added: “This is an exciting announcement for us as our pilot programme continues to build momentum and we extend the Bunnings Warehouse to a new area of the UK.

“Our first two pilot stores in St Albans are performing well, and we look forward to opening a further three stores in Folkestone, Hemel Hempstead and Milton Keynes in the coming months.”

Bunnings' Hemel Hempstead store is due to open this Friday (June 9) and in a recent briefing, Wesfarmers CEO Richard Goyder confirmed that a further pilot would open by the end of this month, and that there would be 10 UK Bunnings Warehouses running by the end of 2017.