A FRESH wave of Wilko closures is coming next week as the retailer prepares to shut its 400 stores for good.
This week, the collapsed chain closed 52 sites meaning more than 1,000 job losses for its staff.
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By the next month, the 90-year-old discounter will be a distant memory on the high street with all 400 stores set to close by October.
The future of its stores and the jobs of 12,500 staff have been uncertain since the retailer fell into administration in August.
On Tuesday and Thursday this week, the first set of Wilko stores shut their doors for good.
Another 124 stores are set to close next week in three rounds of closures on September 17, 19 and 21.
The closure of distribution centre operations is expected to take place today with around 886 employees being made redundant.
Further redundancies of the remaining 210 support centre employees will take place during September and early October as operations wind down.
The timings for the closure of the remaining 222 stores are yet to be announced.
This week it was confirmed by administrators that The Range will buy the retailer’s brand name in a £5million deal.
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So although shoppers won’t be seeing the Wilko name on the high street anymore, the website will reopen in October and the brand name will carry on.
Rival discount Poundland also snapped up 71 Wilko stores and said that Wilko workers will be first in line for new jobs.
B&M has also agreed to buy up to 51 Wilko locations in a £13million deal.
Full list of Wilko store closures
Wilko sites that closed on Tuesday, September 12:
- Acton
- Aldershot
- Barking
- Bishop Auckland
- Bletchley FF
- Brownhills
- Camberley
- Cardiff Bay Retail Park
- Falmouth
- Harpurhey
- Irvine
- Liverpool Edge Lane
- Llandudno
- Lowestoft
- Morley
- Nelson
- Port Talbot
- Putney
- Stafford
- Tunbridge Wells
- Wakefield
- Weston-super-Mare
- Westwood Cross
- Winsford
Wilko sites that closed on Thursday, September 14:
- Ashford
- Avonmeads
- Banbury
- Barrow in Furness
- Basildon
- Belle Vale
- Burnley (Relocation)
- Clydebank
- Cortonwood
- Dagenham
- Dewsbury
- Eccles
- Folkestone
- Great Yarmouth
- Hammersmith
- Huddersfield
- Morriston
- New Malden
- North Shields
- Queen Street Cardiff
- Rhyl
- Southampton-West Quay
- St Austell
- Stockport
- Truro
- Uttoxeter
- Walsall
- Woking
Wilko sites closing on Sunday, September 17:
- Accrington
- Ashington
- Blackwood
- Bognor Regis
- Bradford
- Bury St Edmunds
- Coalville
- Crawley
- Droylsden
- Ellesmere Port
- Falkirk
- Ferndown
- Hanley
- Humberstone
- Huyton
- Kensington High Street
- Kings Heath
- Lakeside
- Leigh
- Letchworth
- Maidenhead
- Market Harborough
- Melton Mowbray
- Newport
- Orpington
- Pontefract
- Pontypool
- Redruth
- Rugeley
- Shirley
- Southport
- Sovereign Harbour
- Torquay
- Wimbledon
- Wombwell
- Woodhouse Lane – Leeds
- Worcester
- Workington.
Wilko sites closing on Tuesday, September 19:
- Aberdare
- Alfreton
- Ashby
- Barnstaple
- Belper
- Beverley
- BlackheathBrigg
- Byker, Chepstow
- Clifton Nottingham
- Colindale
- Devizes
- Didcot
- Earlestown
- East Ham
- Great Bridge
- Greenbridge
- Grimsby
- Hessle Road – Hull
- Jarrow
- Kimberley
- Leighton Buzzard
- Long Eaton
- Maesteg
- Matlock
- Middleton
- Newton Abbot
- Redcar
- Ripley
- Seaham
- Sherwood
- Stamford
- Stevenage
- Swanley
- Tamworth
- Wrexham
- Wythenshawe
Wilko stores closing Thursday, September 21:
- Allestree
- Andover
- Bedford
- Beeston
- Bicester
- Bloxwich
- Bolton
- Bordon
- Bransholme
- Bridgend, Bury
- Carlton
- Clacton on Sea
- Cramlington
- Crewe
- Cwmbran
- Cyfarthfa
- Denton
- Driffield
- Droitwich
- Edmonton Green
- Farnborough
- Fort Kinnaird
- Fulham
- Gateshead
- Gorleston
- Grays
- Greenock
- Havant
- Hereford
- Hillsborough
- Holyhead
- Newton Aycliffe
- Northampton
- Orton
- Parc Trostre Llanelli
- Penge
- Peterlee
- Pwllheli
- Shrewsbury
- Slough
- Swindon
- Tamworth Retail Park
- Taunton
- Walton on Thames
- Wheatley Retail Park
- Wigan
- Wolverhampton
Wilko was founded in 1930 and the chain has remained in the ownership of the founding family since then.
The founder’s son, Tony Wilkinson, joined the company as a branch manager in 1960 before succeeding his father as chairman in 1972.
In June 2005 he was succeeded by his daughter Lisa Wilkinson and his niece Karin Swann.
In August when the announcement was first made that the retailer had filed for administration.
Chief Executive Officer, Mark Jackson, said that the company “left no stone unturned” in a bid to save the chain.
Lidl and Aldi have both expressed an interest in taking over some of the Wilko sites when the stores have closed.
However, nothing has been confirmed as yet.
