Finance

Final days of trading for 74 Wilko stores closing this week as name set to disappear from high street after 93 years


ANOTHER 74 Wilko stores are closing their doors for good this week in a blow to the high street.

The retailer collapsed into administration on August 10 meaning 400 shops will pull down their shutters for the final time.

Wilko is closing a further 74 stores this week

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Wilko is closing a further 74 stores this weekCredit: Alamy

Branches have been closing throughout September and all are set to shut by early October, administrators PwC have said.

But a number of stores are closing their doors this week too.

Thirty seven shops will pull down their shutters for the final time tomorrow.

Meanwhile, a further 37 will close for good on Thursday, September 28.

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Here’s the full list of shops closing for good tomorrow:

  • Acocks Green, Birmingham, West Midlands
  • Alnwick, Northumberland
  • Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, Wales
  • Armley, Leeds, West Yorkshire
  • Arnison-Durham, Durham, County Durham
  • Bedford, Bedfordshire
  • Blyth, Northumberland
  • Boston, Lincolnshire, East Midlands
  • Brentwood, Essex
  • Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
  • Chester Le Street, County Durham
  • Gillingham, Kent
  • Gloucester, Gloucestershire
  • Greenwich, London
  • Halesowen, Dudley, West Midlands
  • Harlow, Essex
  • Hartlepool, County Durham
  • Kidderminster, Worcestershire
  • Lewisham, London
  • Longton, Stoke-on-Trent
  • Meadowhall, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
  • Motherwell, North Lanarkshire
  • Newark, Nottinghamshire
  • Nuneaton, Warwickshire
  • Rainham, London
  • Runcorn, Cheshire
  • Six Acre Shopping Centre, Sale, Greater Manchester
  • Salford, Greater Manchester
  • South Shields, Tyne and Wear
  • Sutton-In-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire
  • Thornaby, North Yorkshire
  • Watford, Hertfordshire
  • Wellington, Somerset
  • Whitehaven, Cumbria
  • Wigston, Leicestershire
  • Worksop, Nottinghamshire
  • Yeovil, Somerset

Meanwhile, the following 37 stores will close for good on September 28:

  • Allenton, Derby, Derbyshire
  • Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
  • Bedminster, Bristol
  • Biggleswade, Bedfordshire
  • Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset
  • Bull Ring, Birmingham, West Midlands
  • Chippenham, Wiltshire
  • Clowne, Derbyshire
  • Corby, Northamptonshire
  • Cowley, Oxfordshire
  • Dudley, West Midlands
  • Fareham, Hampshire
  • Gainsborough, Lincolnshire
  • Gravesend, Kent
  • Hayes, Middlesex
  • Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
  • Hull, East Yorkshire
  • Kenilworth, Warwickshire
  • Kettering, Northamptonshire
  • Kings Lynn, Norfolk
  • Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
  • Leek, Staffordshire
  • Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
  • Middlebrook, Bolton, Greater Manchester
  • Mildenhall, Suffolk
  • Newbury, Berkshire
  • Northallerton, North Yorkshire
  • Redditch, Worcestershire
  • Redhill, Surrey
  • Retford, Nottinghamshire
  • Rugby, Warwickshire
  • Rushden, Northamptonshire
  • Spalding, Lincolnshire
  • St Helens, Merseyside
  • Syston, Leicestershire
  • Wallasey, Merseyside
  • Wellingborough, Northamptonshire

News of the closures has left residents devastated, with many of the branches having served their communities for decades.

One person said: “Gutted…not just for me for the town. One of the biggest shops gone.”

Another said: “It’s so sad. Wilkos will be a big miss,” while another added: “So sad how empty the shelves are.”

Hundreds of Wilko stores have already closed their doors for the final time.

On September 12, 24 Wilko stores closed for good and on Thursday September 14, another 28 stores shut up shop.

Both of Wilko’s warehouses also closed on September 15.

A further 38 stores pulled down their shutters one last time on September 17 and 38 more closed on September 19.

On September 22, nearly 50 branches closed their doors.

The remaining 111 stores will close in early October, PwC said.

However, discount chain’s Poundland and B&M have purchased a handful of stores which could be reopening in the near future.

Meanwhile, The Range has bought out the Wilko brand, including the name and website, in a £5million deal.

A message has since appeared on the Wilko website telling customers that home delivery is “returning soon”.

An exact date for when the service is returning is yet to be revealed.

It comes as a number of other retailers close stores across the UK, including Iceland, Boots and Paperchase.

The high street has suffered in recent years as consumers increasingly turn to online retail and away from physical branches.

Businesses have also been contending with increased energy and wage costs.

It has led to a number of high street retailers closing stores as they try to cut back on costs.

Some have gone bust completely too, including Paperchase, Cath Kidston and M&Co.

It’s not all bad news though as some retailers have been expanding.

Poundland, Primark and B&M have all announced store openings while a number of bakery chains are set to open branches.

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Dunkin’ Donuts is hoping to open 30 new branches by 2025 as part of major expansion plans.

Meanwhile, Wenzel’s the Bakers has started opening nine new locations across the UK.

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