Wilko: Five Yorkshire stores set for closure next week as administration process continues

The firm’s Morley and Wakefield stores, both located in West Yorkshire, are set for closure on Tuesday, 12 September.

Wilko’s Dewsbury and Huddersfield stores, also in West Yorkshire, will close on Thursday, 14 September, as will the firm’s Cortonwood store in South Yorkshire.

The news of closures follows an announcement from PwC yesterday that rival retailer B&M had purchased up to 51 other Wilko stores. The deal is said to be worth up to £13 million. Before falling into administration, Wilko had 400 stores and around 12,500 staff members.

Edward Williams, joint administrator for the firm, told PA News Agency that an absence of viable offers for the whole business had led to store closures and redundancies now being necessary.

He said: “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.”

PwC has said that it remains in talks with other parties interested in buying parts of the business.

HMV owner Doug Putman has been reported to still be in discussions with PwC over a potential deal to save a significant number of Wilko stores.

The news comes after an offer from private equity firm M2 Capital to buy the whole of the chain fell through at the end of last week.