The full list of 52 Wilko stores set to close next week has been confirmed by administrators after failing to secure a rescue deal.
After PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) was appointed to oversee the insolvency of the beloved British bargain retailer earlier last month month, it was confirmed on Tuesday this week that rival retailer B&M had bought 51 Wilko stores in a deal said to be worth up to £13 million, while those at the administration company continued on in talks with several other parties who are interested in buying the remaining parts of the business.
But sadly, in the meantime while those talks are ongoing, it’s the end of the road for dozens of Wilko stores right across the UK – including several major outlets in Greater Manchester.
A total of 52 Wilko branches nationwide will close their doors for good next week.
The staff members working at the affected stores will unfortunately be made redundant, and on top of that, administrators have even added that it’s possible “further store closures may regrettably be necessary”, all depending on how talks with remaining suitors pan out.
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Stores will close over two days next week on Tuesday 12 and Thursday 14 September, with the closing Greater Manchester locations confirmed to be Harpurhey, Eccles, and Stockport.
The Wilko stores closing on Tuesday 12 September:
Acton
Aldershot
Barking
Bishop Auckland
Bletchley FF
Brownhills
Camberley
Cardiff Bay Retail Park
Falmouth
Harpurhey
Irvine
Liverpool Edge Lane
Llandudno
Lowestoft
Morley
Nelson
Port Talbot
Putney
Stafford
Tunbridge Wells
Wakefield
Weston-super-Mare
Westwood Cross
Winsford
“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,” explained Edward Williams, who is the Joint Administrator at PwC.
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“The loss of these stores will be felt not only by the team members, who served them with such dedication, but also the communities which they have been a part of.”
Wilko has confirmed the full list of 52 stores to close next week / Credit: Wilko
The Wilko stores closing on Thursday 14 September:
Ashford
Avonmeads
Banbury
Barrow in Furness
Basildon
Belle Vale
Burnley (Relocation)
Clydebank
Cortonwood
Dagenham
Dewsbury
Eccles
Folkestone
Great Yarmouth
Hammersmith
Huddersfield
Morriston
New Malden
North Shields
Queen Street Cardiff
Rhyl
Southampton-West Quay
St Austell
Stockport
Truro
Uttoxeter
Walsall
Woking
As a last-minute buyer could not be found, it’s expected that all of Wilko’s 400 units nationwide will eventually be taken over by other outlets.
Roughly 12,500 jobs within the business are said on the line.
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B&M has bought 51 Wilko stores in a deal worth up to £13 million / Credit: Greg Macvean (via B&M) | Manchester Arndale
While various other bargain retail brands such as Poundland, Home Bargains, and The Range are also looking to take over some of the other spaces that Wilko vacates, B&M’s £13 million deal earlier this week means it is set to become the first company to pick up the pieces and aid their own expansion around the UK.
Tesco shoppers urged to use up £16.5m-worth of Clubcard vouchers before they expire this month
Emily Sergeant
Tesco is urging Clubcard members to check if they have any vouchers that need to be used up, as millions are set to expire at the end of this month.
Clubcard Vouchers, which are always valid for two years from issue, need to be exchanged before the clock strikes midnight on the last day of this month (30 November), and can go towards everything from the cost of the weekly shop, to pay for fuel, or to pick up a new Tesco Mobile deal.
What’s more is that shoppers can also exchange the remaining vouchers for double their value too -with more than 100 Clubcard reward partners.
You can even take advantage of some all-new reward partner deals as well.
These include the new ‘Tesco Tuesdays’ offer with Cineworld, giving Clubcard members the chance to get cinema tickets for Tuesday showings for just £5 (£2.50 in Clubcard Vouchers), and the amazing new triple value voucher offer with PizzaExpress, meaning £10 of Tesco Clubcard vouchers can be redeemed for a code for £30-off food at the popular pizza chain.
According to Tesco’s stats, if the soon-to-be expired vouchers were all used for ‘Tesco Tuesdays’, it would be enough to get 6.6 million cinema tickets at Cineworld, and if they were exchanged at PizzaExpress, they could secure a whopping £49.5 million of reward codes.
Clubcard members can earn Clubcard points in a variety of ways, including using their Clubcard when they shop or purchase fuel at Tesco, or when they charge electric vehicles at Pod charging facilities at Tesco stores.
Today, it’s believed that more than 24 million UK households have a Tesco Clubcard.
“We don’t want anyone to miss out on making the most of their Tesco Clubcard Vouchers, and with some great new offers with Clubcard Rewards this really is a great time to use those vouchers up,” commented Shama Wilson, who is the Tesco Group Membership and Loyalty Director.
“So it really is worth checking in the Tesco app to see if you have any vouchers expiring.”
Featured Image – Tesco
Shopping
Man City to open latest Greater Manchester club shop at Trafford Centre
Danny Jones
Manchester City Football Club are set to open another brand-new store at the Trafford Centre, and just in time for Christmas.
With the festive period approaching, plenty of people will be looking to buy the latest shirts and merch of their beloved team, and with the Blues now a bigger brand than ever, they’ve put plenty of time into levelling up the club shop experience.
Their third in Greater Manchester, all told, it’s also set to be one of their largest to date.
Credit: The Manc Group
Although confirmation of the plans came back in October, City have officially announced themselves in the Trafford Centre this month.
With the hoardings going up over on Peel Avenue – the section of the huge mall arguably most well-known for its multi-storey John Lewis department store – they’ll be opening their doors just next to the branch of Waterstones.
In fact, you definitely can’t miss it because not only is there a giant MCFC badge plastered over the windows, but it also happens to be right next to the big Christmas tree.
This comes after sports and streetwear franchises like Gymshark and Urban Outfitters joined the North West tourist attraction, not to mention the massive Zara and Bershka sites that opened recently, as well as other global names like Pop Mart.
An idea of what the new Man City store in the Trafford Centre could look like, based on the Arndale shop. (Credit: The Manc)
Put simply, there’s been plenty of new arrivals this year, and there are several others to come.
Although we’ve not got an exact opening date just yet, the posters displayed across the window simply read “Coming November”, so Cityzens won’t have to wait long.
Furthermore, job vacancies for retail roles working within the upcoming location are already listed on the official Trafford Centre careers page.
Last but not least, there are scheduled be a number of other new openings in the shopping arcade, leisure and entertainment destination, so keep your eyes peeled on socials for more info soon.
Emily Sergeant -
7th September 2023 
