THE first Wilko stores set for closure have been announced by administrators.
A total of 52 shops will close their doors by the end of the day next Thursday, with over 1,000 jobs being axed.
Twenty-four branches will shut on Tuesday followed by a further 28 stores two days later.
A total of 1,332 jobs have been slashed in the latest round of redundancies announced by administrators at PwC.
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."
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As well as the job losses within stores there are 229 roles being axed at the company's two warehouses in Worksop and Newark.
There will be another 17 redundancies among the company’s digital team at its support centre.
PwC went on to thank the staff for their support and said it "remains committed" to helping those affected.
But in a boost for staff and customers, a major Wilko rival has saved 51 stores.
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Is Wilko closing? Full list of stores at risk of shutting
Here is the full list of Wilko stores closing at the end of the working day 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
The following sites will close 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
The news today comes after B&M agreed to buy up to 51 locations in a £13million deal.
There's still hope that more of the remaining stores could be saved, along with thousands of the total 12,500 jobs.
Administrators at PwC are "actively working with potential buyers" and "exploring all interest in the reminder of the business".
The closures and job cuts were announced after it became clear there was no interest from any potential buyers in those specific stores.
The full list of Wilko stores which have been bought by B&M is yet to be revealed.
The union GMB indicated yesterday that workers at the 51 shops won't automatically transfer to the new owner as the deal is only for stores, which are expected to be re-branded as B&M.
The discount chain said more information on the new store openings will be issued alongside its half-year financial results on November 9.
The Sun previously revealed that weekend negotiations between Canadian entrepreneur Doug Putman, who was eyeing up 300 stores, had run into issues with suppliers.
But a further 200 stores could still be saved with a new deal on the table from Mr Putman, according to insiders.
On Monday, the first wave of job cuts took place, with a total of 269 support centre team member roles being axed in its Worksop site.
A further 14 jobs at Kin Limited, a subsidiary of Wilko, have also been cut after it too fell into administration.
It brings the total jobs lost so far to more than 1,500.
Wilko collapsed into administration on August 10 after the struggling retailer failed to find new backing for the business.
The company borrowed £40million in 2022 from Hilco as well as cutting jobs and restructuring the leadership of the business.
Chief executive officer, Mark Jackson, said that the company had "left no stone unturned" in a bid to save the chain.
Your rights in redundancy
Companies can choose to cut their workforce and employees should understand their rights.
You are entitled to statutory redundancy pay, but only if you have worked at your job for two years or more.
The statutory rate is based on your age, weekly pay and number of years in the job.
You will get:
- Half a week’s pay for each full year you worked aged under 22
- One week’s pay for each full year you worked aged 22 or older, but under 41
- One and half week’s pay for each full year you worked while aged 41 or older.
But it's capped at 20 years and the max redundancy pay you can get is currently £16,320.
Some companies may offer to pay more than the statutory amount. This will usually be in your contract.
Plus, you are still entitled to any pay you are owed for untaken holiday days at the end of your notice period.
The government has a calculator on its website to help you work out how much you are owed.
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Meanwhile, we have put together a full list of retailers offering jobs to devastated Wilko staff.
To keep up to date with the latest on Wilko follow our live blog.
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