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
Popular Manchester lifestyle store Form to celebrate its birthday with FREE goodie bags this weekend
Emily Sergeant
A little independent lifestyle store tucked away on Northern Quarter side street is marking a milestone birthday this weekend.
And there’s freebies up for grabs for 20 lucky shoppers.
It’s been six years since Form Lifestyle Store moved into its unique space on the hidden Bradley Street, just around the corner from the bustling Stevenson Square, and what a six years its been – so, in a bid to properly mark the occasion, the small independent business is planning to thank customers for their support with a day of celebrations this weekend.
The first 20 shoppers who head on down to the Northern Quarter store tomorrow (30 September) will be given a free goody bag full of handmade items and thoughtfully-made goods.
Form says these items “embody the belief” it’s always held of supporting independent makers.
Popular Manchester lifestyle store to celebrate its birthday with FREE goodie bags / Credit: Form Lifestyle Store
The shop will be open from 11am to 5pm tomorrow, and is inviting all customers – both returning and new – to join for the celebrations.
As well as the birthday celebrations, some new arrivals from independent makers will also be on show for the first time, and Form’s long-awaited ‘Found Forms’ collection of vintage and pre-loved homewares will also be making their way onto the shelves.
This means that anyone visiting on Saturday will have first dibs on these treasures too.
While you’re feasting your eyes on the stunning collection of homewares and lifestyle goods, there’ll also be an actual feast, as Form has organised for there to be a wide range of refreshments from local businesses on offer for shoppers to tuck into.
Remaining true to its ethos of “supporting small”, you can expect natural wine from Isca, and locally-brewed Kombucha from Laid Bear, as well as tasty handmade baked treats from The Palms Bakery and Companio.
“We’ve been in our beautiful space for six years now and we’d love for our customers to join us in the shop for a little celebration,” said Form’s founder Elly ahead of the milestone event tomorrow.
“If you’re a regular customer, one of our makers, someone who hasn’t visited in years, or someone who has never quite found our hidden little street, we’d love for you to join us”.
If you’re keen to join the celebrations, you’ll want to head on down to Form Lifestyle Store on Bradley Street in the Northern Quarter tomorrow from 11am.
You can find out more about the little gem of a shop here.
Featured Image – Form Lifestyle Store
Shopping
These three Greater Manchester Wilko stores are reopening as Poundlands this weekend
Emily Sergeant
The first 10 Wilko stores to start new lives as Poundlands are reopening this weekend, and three of them are in Greater Manchester.
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 back on 11 September that all of the retailer’s outlets across the UK would be forced to close, leaving around 12,500 jobs at risk, a glimmer of hope was offered.
And that glimmer of hope was that several dozen stores had been saved.
Only, they wouldn’t be remaining under the Wilko name, as they’d be reopening as another popular bargain retailer instead, and that’s because Pepco Group – the company which owns Poundland in the UK – managed to strike a deal with Wilko administrators PwC to take control of up to 71 store leases.
With lease assignments expected to be completed in the coming weeks, according to Pepco, this meant that the some 71 stores would join Poundland’s existing 800-plus UK outlets before 2023 is out.
Six Greater Manchester Wilko stores are set to reopen as Poundlands / Credit: Poundland | Wilko
Pepco Group published the full list of stores set for conversion earlier this month, and also confirmed it would be offering employment some of Wilko’s former employees – with it being good news for six Greater Manchester sites.
Altrincham, Bolton, Eccles, Sale, Leigh, and Stockport were confirmed to be the region’s towns set to get themselves a new Poundland, and Poundland added that it intends to convert the stores over to its brand “as soon as is practical”.
It turns out that window of practicality has arrived this weekend for three of those confirmed sites.
Among the 10 former Wilko branches across the UK that are set to start a new chapter and begin lives as Poundlands this weekend are sites at The Peel Centre in Stockport, The Mall in Eccles, and on Lord Street in Leigh.
Poundland is convert the stores over to its brand “as soon as is practical” / Credit: Poundland
It’s expected that dates for the new round of Poundland conversions will be announced in due course, as will news from PwC about the other deals it has struck for the Wilko name to live on.
You may remember that administrators had previously struck a deal for fellow discount chain B&M to buy 51 other Wilko stores, while another high street chain, The Range, had also confirmed a last-minute deal to buy Wilko’s brand last month.
The Range has bought Wilko’s website and intellectual property, so shoppers can expect to see Wilko own-brand items appear in The Range stores nationwide very soon.
Emily Sergeant -
13th September 2023 
