HUNDREDS of Wilko stores are at risk of closing as the retailer is on the brink of collapsing.
The discount chain has filed for a notice of intent to appoint administrators.
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A notice of intention essentially means Wilko has a 10-day window to secure a deal while it’s still protected from action by other creditors.
Wilko has 400 shops across the whole of the UK and employs around 12,000 people in total.
Bosses were said to be exploring the sale of a controlling stake in the company just last month.
The retailer is being advised by PwC, and property agents CBRE have been brought on board to negotiate with landlords.
If Wilko does file for administration, all control of the business is passed to an appointed administrator.
So far, chain bosses haven’t revealed what will happen to all 400 shops and staff.
All sites will continue to operate as normal for now, and even if administrators are brought in, the stores could still keep going if the company is bought by someone else.
The company announced plans to close over a dozen of its shops in January last year.
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Then in February 2023, it revealed it planned to cut over 400 jobs, including both store and head office roles.
Most recently in May, the discount chain was looking at restructuring options and approached financial advisors.
It was said to be considering entering a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) which is a form of insolvency.
Wilko, like many other high street retailers, is said to have seen a big drop in footfall and has “stopped performing to its full potential”.
Chains have been feeling the pinch since the pandemic while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to soaring inflation.
High energy costs and a shift to online shopping after the pandemic are also taking a toll and many brick and mortar shops have struggled to keep the lights on.
Numerous high street brands have collapsed into administration in the last 12 months.
Paperchase collapsed into administration at the end of January this year and all 106 stores have since closed for good.
Scottish clothing brand M&Co and wellies retailer Joules are among the familiar brands which went bust in 2022.
Shops aren’t the only ones affected, major burger chain Byron Burger also fell into administration and closed nine restaurants immediately.
Here is the full list of towns and cities with Wilko shops in the UK:
- Aberdare
- Abergavenny
- Accrington
- Acocks Green
- Acton
- Aldershot
- Alfreton
- Alnwick
- Altrincham
- Ammanford
- Andover
- Arnold
- Ashford
- Ashington
- Ashton-Under-Lyne
- Aylesbury
- Ayr
- Banbury
- Barking
- Barnsley (3 stores)
- Barnstaple
- Barrow In Furness
- Barry
- Basildon
- Basingstoke
- Bedford (2)
- Bedminster
- Belper
- Beverley
- Bexleyheath
- Bicester
- Biggleswade
- Birkenhead
- Birmingham (3)
- Bishop Auckland
- Bishops Stortford
- Blackburn
- Blackpool
- Blackwood
- Bletchley
- Blyth
- Bognor Regis
- Bolton (2)
- Bordon
- Boston
- Bournemouth (2)
- Bradford
- Brentwood
- Bridgend
- Bridgwater
- Brigg
- Brighouse
- Bristol (3)
- Bromley
- Brownhills
- Burgess Hill
- Burnley
- Burton Upon Trent
- Bury
- Bury St Edmunds
- Camberley
- Cambridge
- Canterbury
- Cardiff (3)
- Carlisle
- Carmarthen
- Castle Douglas
- Chatham
- Chelmsford
- Cheltenham
- Chepstow
- Chester
- Chester Le Street
- Chesterfield
- Chippenham
- Clacton On Sea
- Cleethorpes
- Cleveleys
- Clowne
- Clydebank
- Coalville
- Cockermouth
- Colchester
- Corby
- Coventry (2)
- Cowley
- Cramlington
- Crawley
- Crewe
- Cwmbran
- Dagenham
- Darlington
- Dartford
- Denton
- Derby (3)
- Dereham
- Devizes
- Dewsbury
- Didcot
- Doncaster (2)
- Driffield
- Droitwich
- Dudley
- Dunstable
- Durham
- East Ham
- Eastbourne (2)
- Eccles
- Edinburgh
- Ellesmere Port
- Ely
- Epsom
- Exeter
- Falkirk
- Falmouth
- Fareham
- Farnborough
- Ferndown
- Folkestone
- Gainsborough
- Gateshead (2)
- Gillingham
- Gloucester
- Gravesend
- Grays (2)
- Great Malvern
- Great Yarmouth (2)
- Greenock
- Greenwich
- Grimsby (2)
- Halesowen
- Halifax
- Hamilton
- Hanley
- Harlow
- Harrow
- Hartlepool
- Havant
- Haverfordwest
- Hayes
- Hemel Hempstead
- Hereford
- High Wycombe
- Hinckley
- Hitchin
- Holyhead
- Horsham
- Hounslow
- Hucknall
- Huddersfield
- Hull (2)
- Huntingdon
- Huyton
- Ilford
- Ilkeston
- Ipswich
- Irvine
- Jarrow
- Kenilworth
- Kent (2)
- Kettering
- Kidderminster
- Kings Lynn
- Kingston Upon Thames
- Kingston Upon Hull
- Kingswood
- Knowle
- Lancaster
- Leamington Spa
- Leeds (7)
- Leek
- Leicester (5)
- Leigh
- Leighton Buzzard
- Letchworth
- Lewisham
- Lichfield
- Lincoln
- Liverpool (3)
- Livingston
- Llandudno
- Llanelli
- London (9)
- Long Eaton
- Loughborough
- Louth
- Lowestoft
- Luton
- Maidenhead
- Maidstone
- Manchester (4)
- Mansfield
- Market Drayton
- Market Harborough
- Matlock
- Melton Mowbray
- Merthyr Tydfil
- Middlesbrough
- Middlesex
- Mildenhall
- Milton Keynes
- Morriston
- Motherwell
- Neath
- Nelson
- Newark
- Newbury
- Newcastle
- Newcastle Under Lyme
- Newcastle Upon Tyne (3)
- Newport
- Newton Abbot
- Newton Aycliffe
- Newton-Le-Willows
- North Shields
- Northallerton
- Northampton (3)
- Northfield
- Norwich
- Nottingham (9)
- Nuneaton
- Oakham
- Orpington
- Oswestry
- Pembroke Dock
- Penge
- Perry Barr
- Peterborough (2)
- Peterlee
- Plymouth
- Pontefract
- Pontypool
- Poole
- Port Talbot
- Porthmadog
- Portsmouth
- Preston (2)
- Pwllheli
- Rainham
- Ramsgate
- Reading
- Redcar
- Redditch
- Redhill
- Redruth
- Retford
- Rhyl
- Ripley
- Romford
- Rotherham
- Rowley Regis
- Royal Kingston Upon Thames
- Rugby
- Rugeley
- Runcorn
- Rushden
- Sale
- Salford
- Scarborough
- Scunthorpe
- Seaham
- Selby
- Sheffield (6)
- Shipley
- Shirley
- Shrewsbury
- Sittingbourne
- Skegness
- Skelmersdale
- Slough
- Solihull
- South Shields
- Southampton
- Southend On Sea
- Southport
- Spalding
- St Albans
- St Austell
- St Helens
- Stafford
- Stamford
- Stevenage
- Stockport
- Stockton On Tees
- Stoke-On-Trent
- Stourbridge
- Stratford
- Strood
- Stroud
- Sunderland
- Sutton
- Sutton-In-Ashfield
- Swanley
- Swansea
- Swindon (2)
- Tamworth (2)
- Taunton
- Telford (2)
- Thetford
- Tipton
- Torquay
- Trowbridge
- Truro
- Uttoxeter
- Uxbridge
- Wakefield (2)
- Wallasey
- Walsall (2)
- Walthamstow
- Walton On Thames
- Warrington
- Washington
- Waterlooville
- Watford
- Wellingborough
- Wembley
- West Drayton
- West Ealing
- Weston-Super-Mare
- Weymouth
- Whitehaven
- Widnes
- Wigan
- Wimbledon
- Winsford
- Woking
- Wolverhampton
- Wood Green
- Woolwich
- Worcester
- Workington
- Worksop (2)
- Worthing
- Wrexham
- Wythenshawe
- Yeovil
- York
Meanwhile, three major high street retailers are set to close stores this weekend – see if your area is affected.
Plus, The Sun has put together a handy guide to all the shops closing down in August.
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