51�Թ�

They live in a nearby village and used to come in to Wilko regularly to buy craft materials and treat her five-year-old to pick'n'mix.

"It's where I get my pick 'n' mix before the cinema. I always find it great value, and really good on stuff like detergent," he said.

Selling pick 'n' mix, stationery and even garden tools: Wilko has styled itself as a budget UK homeware chain for over ninety years.

The all-important movie snack business also appears to be back on track, an important source of profits for cinema owners, with Odeon so far selling Bond fans six tonnes of Pick ‘n’ Mix, popcorn weighing the same as 23 Aston Martin DB5s and enough soft drinks to fill the luxury car’s tank nearly 3,000 times.

But it selects each carefully as possible elements of pick 'n' mix policy.