Wilko store in Leighton Buzzard will close for the final time tomorrow

Leighton Buzzard’s Wilko store is to close tomorrow (Tuesday) weeks after the company fell into administration.

Administrators PWC said in a statement last week that attempts to find a buyer for all the stores had failed.

PWC said: “Despite extensive efforts, it has become clear that no significant part of the wilko operations can be rescued as a going concern. As a result, the joint administrators have today informed all staff that they will sadly commence the closure of all wilko stores, the two distribution centres and the cessation of the majority of activities of the Support Centre. It is anticipated that all stores will be closed by early October, resulting in the redundancies of a further 9,100 employees in those stores”

Staff at 124 stores were told that those outlets will close on, or before, Thursday, September 21, with timings for the closure of the remaining 222 stores still yet to be announced.

Zelf Hussain, joint administrator, says: “The dedication shown by all team members during this period has been hugely humbling and we are grateful for the patience and understanding they have shown. As with those who have already been given notice of redundancy, we will guide and support those team members impacted over the coming weeks through the redundancy claims process. We also continue to collaborate closely with relevant agencies and engage with any potential employers to help facilitate a quick return into new employment for those impacted.”