Scores of jobs lost as administrators announce Wilko store closures in South West
Five stores in the South West are to close following the high-profile collapse of retailer Wilko.
The administrators published a full list of stores which are to close for good after negotiations for a full sale of the stricken business ended in failure.
Around 1,300 people are expected to lose their jobs with scores of those coming in the region.
The five stores earmarked for closure in the region are in Falmouth, Weston-super-Mare, Avonmeads in Bristol, St Austell and Truro.
Earlier this week it was announced discount retail chain B&M had bought 51 Wilko stores.
The administrators are yet to confirm whether staff at the sites will keep their jobs – or indeed which sites it has bought.
The £13m deal to buy the stores looks set to see them change their branding to B&M.
The company said it will update on the timings of the openings in an interim results announcement on November 9.
A spokesperson for B&M said: “The consideration is fully funded from existing cash reserves and the acquisition is not expected to be conditional on any regulatory clearances.”
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.
“The loss of these stores will be felt not only by the team members who served them with such dedication, including through the uncertainty of recent weeks, but also the communities which they have been a part of.
“We are enormously grateful for the support of team members during this difficult period and remain committed to doing all we can to help affected staff, assisting them with processing redundancy claims and working with relevant parties to help secure new employment as quickly as possible.”
Active discussions with parties interested in buying parts of the business continue and the administrators remain committed to preserving as many jobs as possible.
However, depending on the outcome of those talks, it is possible that further store closures may be necessary.
The following stores will close on Tuesday 12 September: 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.
The following stores will close on Thursday 14 September: 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.
