Wilko has long been a cherished mainstay of UK high streets. Where else can you get pick and mix, a blowup mattress and hair dye all under one roof? But now the internet is in mourning over the news that the bargain chain – which has been around since 1930 – has gone bust.
Having failed to secure a takeover that would save the business, Wilko has gone into administration. All 400 of its stores will shut and 12,000 jobs could be lost. Several waves of closures have already taken place and more will follow – here’s what you need to know.
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Which Wilko stores are closing down and when?
Even with the successful takeover bids by B&M and Poundland, all 400 Wilko stores will still close as they are expected to be converted into other brand stores. According to the GMB union, all Wilkos will close by October 8.
The following stores closed on Tuesday, September 12.
- Acton
- Aldershot
- Barking
- Bishop Auckland
- Bletchley
- 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
These stores closed on Thursday, September 14.
- Ashford
- Avonmeads
- Banbury
- Barrow in Furness
- Basildon, Belle Vale
- Burnley
- 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
These stores closed 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
- Leeds (Woodhouse Lane)
- Worcester
- Workington
These stores closed on Tuesday, September 19.
- Aberdare
- Alfreton
- Ashby
- Barnstaple
- Belper
- Beverley
- Blackheath
- Brigg
- Byker
- Chepstow
- Clifton Nottingham
- Colindale
- Devizes
- Didcot
- Earlestown
- East Ham
- Great Bridge
- Greenbridge
- Grimsby
- Hull (Hessle Road)
- Jarrow
- Kimberley
- Leighton Buzzard
- Long Eaton
- Maesteg
- Matlock
- Middleton
- Newton Abbot
- Redcar
- Ripley
- Seaham
- Sherwood
- Stamford
- Stevenage
- Swanley
- Tamworth
- Wrexham
- Wythenshawe
These stores closed on 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
These stores closed on Monday, September 25.
- Altrincham
- Ashton
- Barry
- Bridgwater
- Cleveleys
- Cockermouth
- Crossgates
- Darlington
- Dartford
- Dereham
- Giltbrook
- Great Malvern
- Haverfordwest
- Headingley
- High Wycombe
- Ilkeston
- Killingworth
- Lichfield
- Louth
- Market Drayton
- Northfield
- Oakham
- Pembroke
- Dock
- Peterborough
- Ramsgate
- Skelmersdale
- Staines
- Strood
- Stroud
- Thamesmead
- Thetford
- Trowbridge
- Walthamstow
- Warrington
- Waterlooville
- Winton
- Yiewsley
These stores will close on Wednesday, September 27.
- Acocks Green
- Alnwick
- Ammanford
- Armley
- Arnison-Durham
- Blyth
- Boston
- Brentwood
- Cambridge
- Chester Le Street
- Gillingham
- Gloucester
- Greenwich
- Halesowen
- Harlow
- Hartlepool
- Bedford
- Kidderminster
- Lewisham
- Longton
- Meadowhall
- Motherwell
- Newark
- Nuneaton
- Rainham
- Runcorn
- Sale
- Salford
- South Shields
- Sutton-In-Ashfield
- Thornaby
- Watford
- Wellington,
- Whitehaven
- Wigston
- Worksop
- Yeovil
These stores will close on Thursday, September 28.
- Allenton
- Aylesbury
- Bedminster
- Biggleswade
- Boscombe
- Bull Ring
- Chippenham
- Clowne
- Corby
- Cowley
- Dudley
- Fareham
- Gainsborough
- Gravesend
- Hayes
- Hemel
- Hempstead
- Hull
- Kenilworth
- Kettering
- Kings Lynn
- Leamington Spa
- Leek
- Mansfield
- Middlebrook
- Mildenhall
- Newbury
- Northallerton
- Redditch
- Redhill
- Retford
- Rugby
- Rushden
- Spalding
- St Helens
- Syston
- Wallasey
- Wellingborough
These stores will close on Tuesday October 3.
- Barnsley
- Bristol
- Cannon Park
- Canterbury
- Carlisle, Chatham
- Colchester
- Dunstable
- Epsom
- Halifax
- Hitchin
- Hounslow
- Huntingdon
- Ilford
- Kingston Upon Thames
- Kingswood Bristol
- Lancaster
- Leeds Trinity
- Lincoln
- Maidstone
- Metro Centre - Gateshead
- Norwich
- Poole
- Preston
- Reading
- Southend
- St. Albans
- Washington
- Weston Favell
These stores will close on Thursday October 5.
- Abergavenny
- Arndale Eastbourne
- Basingstoke
- Beaumont Leys
- Bexleyheath
- Birstall
- Bishop Stortford
- Blackburn
- Bulwell
- Burgess Hill
- Burton
- Castle Douglas
- Chelmsford
- Cheltenham
- Clifton Bristol
- Clifton Moor
- Deepdale
- Frenchgate
- Hamilton
- Harrow
- Hinckley
- Ipswich
- Lee Circle
- Livingston
- Manchester
- Newcastle-Under-Lyme
- Nottingham
- Riverside, Romford
- Selly Oak
- Sittingbourne
- St James Retail Park
- Stourbridge
- Telford
- Tooting
- Tottenham Hale
- Uxbridge
- Wembley
- West Ealing
- Weymouth
- Worthing
These stores will close on Sunday October 8.
- Arnold
- Ayr
- Birkenhead, Brighouse, Bromley, Cardiff, Carmarthen
- Castleford
- Chelmsley Wood
- Chester
- Chesterfield
- Coventry
- Crystal Peaks
- Derby
- Ely
- Exeter
- Horsham
- Hucknall
- Kingston - MK
- Liverpool
- Loughborough
- Luton
- Middlesbrough
- Neath
- Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
- Oswestry
- Parkgate - Rotherham
- Perry Barr
- Plymouth
- Porthmadog
- Portsmouth
- Scarborough
- Selby
- Sheffield
- Silverlink
- Stratford
- Sunderland
- Sutton-In-Surrey
- Swansea
- Widnes
- Wood Green
Before going into administration, a further 14 Wilko branches were already confirmed to be closing, though many did not yet have official closing dates. Those were:
- Bournemouth
- Stockton
- The Fort, Birmingham
- Shipley
- Scunthorpe
- Narborough Road, Leicester
- Grantham
- Redditch
- Rotherham
- Skegness
- Llanelli
- Merthyr Tydfil
- Cleethorpes
- Woolwich
What has been said about the collapse?
Wilko’s chief executive Mark Jackson said: ‘We left no stone unturned when it came to preserving this incredible business but must concede that, with regret, we’ve no choice but to take the difficult decision to enter into administration.
‘We’ve all fought hard to keep this incredible business intact but must concede that time has run out and now, we must do what’s best to preserve as many jobs as possible, for as long as is possible, by working with our appointed administrators.’
Twitter (sorry, X) users have been up in arms over the news. One wrote: ‘What is the point of living in a country without Wilko?’ Another said: ‘Just fell to my knees. Wilko is one of the only useful shops still on the high street.’
Will there be a last-minute rescue deal?
After weeks of uncertainty, discount store B&M struck a deal to buy up to 51 Wilko stores for a price of £13 million. This deal doesn’t necessarily save any jobs: it will just see B&M take over retail spots.
Another takeover deal also succeeded: Pepco group, which also owns Poundland, announced that it will take on the leases of 71 Wilkos. The company is expected to turn these sites into new Poundland outlets.
Homeware retail chain The Range bought the Wilko brand for a deal reported to be around £5 million. This means that The Range now owns the intellectual property rights to Wilko, but won’t take over any of its branches.
Other takeover deals have failed. Canadian entrepreneur Doug Putman – the guy behind HMV’s recent resurgence in the UK – was apparently working on a deal to save 300 of Wilko’s 400 stores and 12,000 jobs, though this fell through.
Now that these other takeover deals have all failed, all Wilko stores in the UK are set to close.
Wilko launches closing down sale
The ‘Wilko Administration Sale’ began several weeks ago at branches of the store across the country. Thousands of items are apparently available at even cheaper prices than before, though online home delivery and click and collect services have been halted. A ‘secondary’ sale also offers deals on stationery, plants, gardening tools, Christmas goods and home, kitchen and DIY items. If you’re on the hunt for a serious bargain, head down to your nearest Wilko ASAP.
So, is Wilkos still open?
For now, some Wilko stores are still welcoming customers – but they won’t be doing so for much longer. All stores have been slated to close by October 8.
What about the other 400 Wilko stores?
Here is the full list of Wilko stores in the UK.
- Abergavenny
- Accrington
- Acocks Green
- Acton
- Aldershot
- Alfreton
- Alnwick
- Altrincham
- Ammanford
- Andover
- Arnold
- Ashford
- Ashington
- Ashton-Under-Lyne
- Aylesbury
- Ayr
- Banbury
- Barking
- Barnsley (3)
- 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 (2)
- 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
Did you see that after a decade off the shelves, Cadbury is bringing back these much-loved chocs?
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