Shoppers grab final bargains as Wilko closes doors for good
The 93-year-old retailer has closed the last of its high street shops.
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Your support makes all the difference.Shoppers grabbed some final bargains on Sunday as Wilko shut the doors of its last high street shops for the final time.
The 93-year-old discount retailer has been shutting its 400 UK stores over the past month after tumbling into administration in August.
The final 41 stores closed at the end of trading on Sunday – but not before some disappointed customers had visited one last time.
The shelves were largely empty at one branch in Wood Green, north London, and those who swung by said they were sad to see the store go.
Nurse Mariama Barry, 35, who had been a customer there for 15 years, said: “I am really sad, especially as Christmas is coming.
“You could find things cheaper and you could find all that you could want in one go – from toiletries, paint and household stuff.”
She said the store would mark the start of the school year for her four children as it was where they went to get stationery.
She added: “The thing is, the store has been here for so long, so the fact it has gone is so sad. It was something you could rely on.”
The store’s collapse brings to a close one of the largest high street failures in recent years, with almost all of Wilko’s 12,500 workers being made redundant.
After leaving the Wood Green store, Michael Raven, 47, of Finsbury Park, north London, said: “It is unfortunate it is closing. It provided a good service for the local community but I guess it just is not viable any more.
“People are trying to find value in other ways and doing shopping online. They will find a way to get a similar service.”
Great-grandmother Yvonne Arnold, 85, picked up some bargains for her neighbours, adding: “I feel sad because there is not much in Wood Green that sells what they sell. I do not really understand why they are closing.
“I have got a big bag full of bargains and it was for pennies.
“I feel really sorry for the staff. They were really nice.”
On its Wood Green branch website the Wilko brand proudly boasted the store had been “helping families get stuff done for over 80 years”.
It said: “As a family-run business, we know what it takes to keep a busy home running smoothly.
“We get what it means to make the most of family life. And we understand the things that really matter.”
This included practical products aimed at making life in Wood Green a little easier, with stylish home accessories and innovative designs, it added.
Jane Steer, joint administrator, said: “Wilko will be greatly missed on the high street and by everyone involved with the business.
“We’re immensely grateful for the dedication shown and values demonstrated by team members during this very difficult time, throughout which they’ve shown unwavering commitment to the business and customers.”
Wilko, founded by James Kemsey Wilkinson in Leicester in 1930, hired administrators from PwC after it came under pressure from weak consumer spending and debts to suppliers.
PwC held talks with interested firms but was unable to secure a rescue deal for the whole firm, with a potential takeover by HMV owner Doug Putman collapsing.
As a result, administrators sold off a raft of the company’s assets in order to pay off creditors.
Deals were agreed to sell up to 71 stores to Poundland and to sell up to 51 shops to fellow rival discounter B&M.
However, both deals did not include staff.
Last week, Poundland said it had offered jobs to more than 200 former Wilko workers and has already reopened 20 of these sites under its brand.
However, the Times has reported that some of the store takeovers could fail after the new owners were accused of delaying completion amid efforts to set up new rent and lease arrangements with more favourable terms.
The Wilko brand will not disappear from the high street completely despite the collapse, after The Range struck a deal to buy its brand, website and intellectual property for £5 million.
The Range said it will sell Wilko products “in store”, although it is currently not expected to set up standalone Wilko shops.
It will restart home deliveries through wilko.com after the closure of the remaining stores.