MORE Wilko stores will be closing down for good tomorrow and disappearing from the high street forever.
The collapsed retailer will shut the doors of 28 of its stores on Thursday (September 14).
More Wilko stores are shutting their doors for goodRex
Wilko fell into administration on August 10 and since then there has been a flurry of potential buyers expressing interest.
This morning (September 13), The Sun exclusively revealed that The Range is expected to be announced as the buyer of the Wilko brand.
The Range has plans to sell Wilko branded goods at its own discount stores as well as possibly keeping its website.
While Poundland swooped in to snap up 71 Wilko stores and said former workers will be first in line for new jobs.
However, the bargain brand plans to turn these branches into new Poundland stores, which means Wilko stores will still be closing for good.
All of Wilko’s 400 stores across the UK will close by the beginning of October, which means redundancy is very likely for all 12,500 workers.
Some stores have already closed while others are set to close later this week, over the weekend and then into the following week.
We’ve got the full list of 28 Wilko stores shutting for good tomorrow, September 14.
AshfordAvonmeadsBanburyBarrow in FurnessBasildonBelle ValeBurnley (Relocation)ClydebankCortonwoodDagenhamDewsburyEcclesFolkestoneGreat YarmouthHammersmithHuddersfieldMorristonNew MaldenNorth ShieldsQueen Street CardiffRhylSouthampton-West QuaySt AustellStockportTruroUttoxeterWalsallWoking
There are more store closures planned after Thursday.
On Sunday (September 17), 38 stores will close across the country followed by another set on Tuesday, September 19.
The on Thursday (September 21), another 47 stores will shut their doors for good.
Before that, a total of 24 shops shut on Tuesday (September 12).
Timings for the shuttering of the remaining stores will be announced in due course.
The closures comes after a deal with entrepreneur Doug Putman, who previously saved HMV, to buy hundreds of stores fell though.
Zelf Hussain from PwC, joint administrator overseeing the closure of Wilko, said: “Despite the significant and intensive efforts of both ourselves and Putman Investments – the remaining party interested in buying a significant part of the business as a going concern…
“A transaction could not be progressed due to the inability to reduce central infrastructure costs quickly enough to make a deal commercially viable.”
Putman was in talks to save around 200 stores and thousands of jobs.
It’s not just shops either, food and pub chains have also been hit, resulting in brands like Wetherspoons and Frankie & Benny’s closing.
Following the pandemic businesses were struggling to bounce back anyway, only to then be hit by soaring energy bills.
In August, Clarks shoes shut the doors on its store in Fareham for food.
Before that Clarks closed a store in Dundee on July 25.
Although, some chains have managed to defy high street troubles and are actually set to open new shops.
These include discount chains like Poundland and Greggs which is aiming to open 150 new sites this year.
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