B&M could takeover both Altrincham and Sale Wilko stores soon

Wilko’s who have had a store in the former Sale Square Shopping Centre and no Stanley Square was not on the list of stores to be ended and so it is expected new owners B&M will takeover.

The Altrincham store also was not on the list so this too is expected to be a B&M store at some point, here is the full list of Northern closures and sadly redundancies:

The following stores will close on Tuesday 12 September: Bishop Auckland, Harpurhey, Liverpool Edge Lane, Morley, Nelson, Wakefield and Winsford.

The following stores will close on Thursday 14 September: Barrow in Furness, Belle Vale, Burnley (Relocation), Cortonwood, Dewsbury, Eccles, Huddersfield, North Shields and Stockport

Northern redundancies:

*Bishop Auckland – 14
*Harpurhey – 25
*Liverpool Edge Lane – 11
*Morley – 22
*Nelson – 16
*Wakefield – 19
*Winsford – 14
*Barrow in Furness – 19
*Belle Vale – 15
*Burnley (Relocation) – 16
*Cortonwood – 23
*Dewsbury – 18
*Eccles – 15
*Huddersfield – 31
*North Shields – 23
*Stockport – 15

North total: 296

Since their appointment, the administrators have been working closely with Wilko, its employees and suppliers, to fully understand the structure and implications of a number of offers received for all or parts of the Group, as well as assessing the viability of those offers.

The joint administrators of the companies can announce that they have entered into an agreement to provide B&M with the option to acquire up to 51 properties, after the administration trading period concludes at those sites.

We continue to explore all interest in the remainder of the business and are actively working with potential buyers.

It has become clear from these discussions that some stores do not form part of any ongoing interest in the wilko store portfolio. Today the administrators therefore sadly confirm the closure of 52 stores and redundancies of 1,016 staff based at these sites, and a further 299 redundancies at the two distribution centres in Worksop and Newport.

The final day of trading for these stores will be Tuesday 12 September and Thursday 14 September. The locations of the stores concerned will be published tomorrow (Wednesday 6th September) once those team members who are affected have been informed. For those employed at the distribution centres, redundancy will be effective from close of business on Thursday 7 September.

The administrators’ dedicated employee team will continue to help provide support, including assisting in the statutory redundancy claims process and ensuring the dedicated employee helpline remains in place to address any employee queries. Company support systems with access to further advice and resources remain active.

The administrators continue to liaise closely with the government, agencies, unions and large employers to help create avenues to further employment opportunities for affected staff. This includes facilitating the organisation of employer workshops alongside Job Centre Plus, to be held in both Worksop and Newport. These will feature representation from other large employers, with the aim of helping affected employees find a rapid return to employment.

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, in addition to the already announced redundancies at the support centre and distribution centres. We know this has been a deeply unsettling time for everyone concerned and would like to express our gratitude to all wilko team members for the dedication and support they have continued to give the business in the most trying of circumstances.”

A letter from Wilko CEO Mark Jackson said: “

I’d like to take this opportunity on behalf of the directors and the Wilkinson family to thank all of our customers,suppliers, partners and our hardworking team members across our stores, logistics and support centre who remained loyal to wilko.

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.

It’s been an honour to have worked alongside you all as we fought to realise and to maximise the significant opportunities that existed to re-establish a profitable wilko.”