Administrators at collapsed retail chain Wilko have set out plans to close 52 stores next week, affecting 1,016 staff.
The administrators, at PwC, said it became “clear” from discussions with potential buyers that “some stores do not form part of any ongoing interest” in the retailer’s 400-strong portfolio.
A further 299 job cuts will be made at Wilko’s two distribution centres in Worksop and Newport. Those redundancies will be effective from close of business on 7 September.
The final trading days for the 52 stores will be Tuesday 12 September and Thursday 14 September.
The news comes after B&M agreed to acquire up to 51 Wilko stores for £13m.
Edward Williams, joint administrator, said: “In the absence of viable offers for the whole business, very sadly store closures and redundancies of team members from those stores are now necessary, in addition to the already announced redundancies at the support centre and distribution centres.
“We know this has been a deeply unsettling time for everyone concerned and would like to express our gratitude to all Wilko team members for the dedication and support they have continued to give the business in the most trying of circumstances.”
Store locations closing on 12 September:
Acton
Aldershot
Barking
Bishop Auckland
Bletchley FF
Brownhills (West Midlands)
Camberley
Cardiff Bay Retail Park
Falmouth
Harpurhey (Manchester)
Irvine
Liverpool Edge Lane
Llandudno
Lowestoft
Morley (Leeds)
Nelson (Lancashire)
Port Talbot
Putney
Stafford
Tunbridge Wells
Wakefield
Weston-super-Mare
Westwood Cross (Broadstairs)
Winsford
Store locations closing on 14 September:
Ashford (Kent)
Avonmeads (Bristol)
Banbury
Barrow-in-Furness
Basildon
Belle Vale (Liverpool)
Burnley (Relocation)
Clydebank
Cortonwood (Barnsley)
Dagenham
Dewsbury
Eccles
Folkestone
Great Yarmouth
Hammersmith
Huddersfield
Morriston (Swansea)
New Malden (London)
North Shields
Queen Street, Cardiff
Rhyl
Southampton – West Quay
St Austell
Stockport
Truro
Uttoxeter
Walsall
Woking
To send feedback, e-mail pui-guan.man@eg.co.uk or tweet @PuiGuanM or @EGPropertyNews
Discover which agents have been most active in the regional retail markets so far this year >>
