Six former Wilko stores in Greater Manchester are set to begin new lives as Poundlands after owner strikes deal to buy 71 outlets nationwide.
We all know by now that it’s been a turbulent couple of weeks for Wilko after it entered administration earlier last month, but after it was sadly announced on Monday (11 September) that all of the retailer’s outlets across the UK would be forced to close, leaving around 12,500 jobs at risk, it was confirmed yesterday that several dozen had been saved.
Only they won’t be staying as Wilkos, they’ll be reopening as another popular bargain retailer instead.
That’s because Pepco Group, the company which owns Poundland in the UK, has struck a deal with Wilko administrators PwC to take control of up to 71 store leases.
Six Greater Manchester Wilko stores are set to reopen as Poundlands / Credit: Poundland | Wilko
Lease assignments are expected to be completed in early autumn, according to Pepco, which means the some 71 stores will join Poundland’s existing 800-plus UK outlets before 2023 is out – with Poundland saying it intends to convert the stores over to its brand “as soon as is practical”.
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Pepco Group has also confirmed it will be offering employment some of Wilko’s former employees at the sites it’s taking control of.
The full list of 71 current Wilko stores that will begin new lives as Poundlands has been revealed by Pepco Group, and it’s good news for six Greater Manchester sites, as Altrincham, Bolton, and Eccles are among the towns set to get themselves a new Poundland.
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Sale, Leigh, and Stockport are the region’s other three Wilko sites that have been acquired.
Poundland intends to convert the stores over to its brand “as soon as is practical” / Credit: Poundland
Giving a little more insight into the takeover deal, Barry Williams – who is the Managing Director of Poundland – said shoppers can expect to see changes happen “in the coming weeks”.
He continued: “We will work quickly with landlords so we can open these stores as Poundlands, with the new ranges that have been pivotal to our recent development, and once that process is complete, we will ensure a significant number of the Wilko colleagues will join our Poundland team.
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“We know how valued Wilko colleagues have been in scores of communities across the UK, and we look forward to offering them opportunities to join our family [as] we recognise the last few weeks have been difficult for them so we will move quickly to secure new consents from landlords so we can offer them the certainty they deserve.”
Mr Williams said the addition of the 71 Wilko stores to Poundland’s portfolio will “accelerate our existing transformation programme” and “offer amazing value for consumers” on high streets, shopping centres, and retail parks nationwide.
Featured Image – Poundland
Shopping
Erling Haaland dresses up as Santa and hands out Christmas presents in Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
Manchester City star Erling Haaland has doubled as Father Christmas in his latest YouTube stunt, dressing up as Santa and handing out presents to local kids in the new episode.
We’re starting to think he might be one of the most likeable footballers on the planet right now.
The Norwegian footballer recently surpassed Alan Shearer’s ‘fastest to 100 goals record’ in the Premier League and has been well and truly back to his best as Man City continue to rediscover their form, but the big blonde number nine has been delighting both on and off the pitch of late.
For starters, even before any of the season’s givings began, we got the giggle just from our first glimpse of the thumbnail.
Yes, Haaland definitely has a habit of leaning into the humorous side of his celebrity status, having already dressed up as the Joker for Halloween in one of the first episodes published on his still relatively new YouTube channel.
However, the 25-year-old got up to some more heartwarming activities this time around, swapping the face paint, green wig and stripey suit for a red coat, hat, some little glasses and a big white beard.
With the video itself showing him getting into character and loading his car with a sack full of presents, he then goes on to visit multiple houses to dish out the surprise gifts.
While the title and description state that he drove around the streets of 0161, it’s hard to tell where exactly he went, but we’d guess it was more around Alderley Edge and/or the Cheshire side of the Greater Manchester borders.
One particular interaction between the disguised Blue and a young Red certainly produced a harmless little bit of comedy…
Either way, on the whole, this particular instalment was more wholesome than it was funny, and it’s always nice to see sports personalities and famous people spreading kindness.
Obviously, not everyone can afford to be as generous as a Premier League and world-famous international athlete, but it’s nevertheless a nice touch.
Featured Images — Erling Haaland (screenshots via YouTube)
Shopping
Stockport County release second drop in retro range as classic ‘Romania’ shirt is revived
Danny Jones
Stockport County FC have released the latest drop in their collection of retro football kits and casualwear, resurrecting the legendary ‘Romania’ shirt as the centrepiece of the new range of old school casualwear.
If you’re a die-hard Hatter, we don’t need to tell what jersey we mean or how iconic it is within the club’s rich heritage.
We are, of course, talking about the 1996/97 third strip that County players and Stockport supporters alike donned in their droves during their historic EFL Cup run.
Teaming with local town centre hotspots SK1 Records and Underbank bar, The Spin Off, for an official launch event, here’s how they debuted it to the public:
It’s anyone’s guess as to which throwback fit they’ll go with next or whether they’ll simply complete the 96/97 revival, but it’s safe to say that both have gone down a treat with the local community.
Revolving around the bright and unforgettable yellow, blue and red jersey itself – the shirt that County had to swap into before they went on to knockout then-established Premier League side Blackburn Rovers away at Ewood Park – the colourway is just as bold as ever.
Here’s a closer look at the second County Classics kit:
It’s no surprise that just like the previous instalment, replicas have been snapped up in no time, as indeed has their current third kit for the 2025/26 campaign, which also pays homage to their history.
Dave Challinor’s side hosts Stevenage Town at Edgeley Park this Saturday, 13 December, before taking on Mansfield away the following weekend – you can expect a fair few Hatters to be wearing the third strip (both the original and the re-issue) at each.
You can see more from this second edition in the County Classic range down below; all of the items are now on sale, and find out how much each piece from the full collection costs HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
13th September 2023 
