Wilko began closing its first shops this week after falling into administration. The 90-year-old retailer will close 52 branches across Tuesday (September 12) and Thursday (September 14) after failing to secure a deal to rescue the stores.
Administrators from PwC said last week the closures will lead to 1,016 redundancies. It comes as the insolvency experts continue to seek a deal to save as many shops and jobs as possible.
They were dealt a blow on Monday after HMV owner Doug Putman confirmed he has failed in a bid to strike a deal to buy around 200 stores. It means thousands of jobs across Wilko’s remaining shops, warehouses and head office remain in the balance.
Wilko started closing its branches on Tuesday (September 12), and nearly 30 more are scheduled to shut this week before the rest cease trading by early October.
Poundland managing director Barry Williams said: “In the coming weeks we will work quickly with landlords so we can open these stores as Poundlands with the new ranges that have been pivotal to our recent development. And once that process is complete, we will ensure a significant number of the Wilko colleagues will join our Poundland team.”
The full list of Wilko / Wilkinson store closures in Britain:
Stores closed on Tuesday, September 12
- Acton, London
- Aldershot, Hampshire
- Barking, London
- Bishop Auckland, County Durham
- Bletchley, Milton Keynes
- Brownhills, Walsall
- Camberley, Surrey
- Cardiff Bay Retail Park
- Falmouth, Cornwall
- Harpurhey, Manchester
- Irvine, North Ayrshire
- Liverpool Edge Lane
- Llandudno, Wales
- Lowestoft, Suffolk
- Morley, Leeds
- Nelson, Lancashire
- Port Talbot, Wales
- Putney, London
- Stafford, Staffordshire
- Tunbridge Wells, Kent
- Wakefield, 121 Kirkgate
- Weston-super-Mare, Somerset
- Westwood Cross Retail Park, Broadstairs, Kent
- Winsford, Cheshire
Stores to close on Thursday September 14
- Ashford, Kent
- Avonmeads, Bristol
- Banbury, Oxfordshire
- Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
- Basildon, Essex
- Belle Vale, Liverpool
- Burnley, Lancashire
- Clydebank, Glasgow
- Cortonwood, Barnsley
- Dagenham, Essex
- Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
- Eccles, Greater Manchester
- Folkestone, Kent
- Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
- Hammersmith, London
- Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
- Morriston, Swansea
- New Malden, South-west London
- North Shields, Tyne and Wear
- Queen Street, Cardiff
- Rhyl, Wales
- Southampton West Quay
- St Austell, Cornwall
- Stockport, Greater Manchester
- Truro, Cornwall
- Uttoxeter, Staffordshire
- Walsall
- Woking, Surrey
All Wilko’s / Wilkinson’s near Glasgow set to close:
1. Wilko, Irvine
The Wilko in Irvine was the first store near Glasgow to shut its doors on Tuesday September 12.
2. Wilko, Greenock
Announced this week, the Wilko in Greenock is the only shop near Glasgow to be changed into a Poundland.
3. Wilko, Motherwell
The Wilko on Brandon Parade in Motherwell will shut down in Early October.
4. Wilko, Hamilton
The Wilko in the Regent Shopping Centre in Hamilton will close down in early October.