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.
Sephora’s arrival in Manchester last year triggered huge queues of shoppers eager to browse the retailer’s collection of exclusive, viral and classic beauty products.
This will be the 10th UK store for the brand, with more to come in Sheffield and Liverpool in 2025.
Inside Sephora, shoppers are able to browse in-person for brands that are often hard to come by in the UK, including exclusive-to-Sephora brands like Makeup by Mario, Haus Labs by Lady Gaga, and Topicals, plus Glossier and Selena Gomez’s Rare beauty.
The store is also famed for its huge selection of ‘minis’, allowing beauty enthusiasts to try out the hottest products on the market for less.
Sephora has announced a second store in the Manchester Arndale. Credit: The Manc GroupSephora has announced a second store in the Manchester Arndale. Credit: The Manc Group
There’ll be a Beauty Hub in store, offering full glam, facials, hair styling, and brows by Benefit Cosmetics.
Sarah Boyd, Managing Director, Sephora UK, said: “Manchester showed us phenomenal support when we opened our first store in the region, which blew away all our expectations.
“We are thrilled bringing a second beauty playground to our customers in this vibrant and culturally rich city, allowing us to reach even more shoppers with a city centre location at Arndale.
“We already know there is strong appetite from beauty enthusiasts in Manchester as we saw over 2000 eager customers queue on our opening day last year, and we look forward to recreating the same energy at Arndale and to continue providing an unparalleled beauty experience like no other.”
Tesco is trialling personalised Clubcard prices giving shoppers even cheaper offers
Emily Sergeant
Tesco has started trialling personalised Clubcard offers which give customers tailored prices based on their purchases.
The supermarket‘s Clubcard loyalty scheme has more than 20 million people signed-up nationwide, making it one of the most popular of its kind on the market, by far – but over the coming weeks, prices could begin to get cheaper for some than they already are as part of the new ‘Your Clubcard Prices’ scheme being trialled.
The scheme, which is being launched nationwide to a select group of people, will see shoppers sent new personalised offers every Wednesday, on top of all other existing deals.
These will be sent via the Tesco Clubcard app, and added automatically at the checkout.
Tesco is trialling personalised Clubcard prices giving shoppers even cheaper offers / Credit: The Manc Group
At this moment in time, it’s believed to be unclear how many people are a part of the trial, and also how long the trial will last for.
What we do know, however, is that customers will be able to use their personalised offers multiple times for a total of seven days in larger Tesco stores, but at present, they unfortunately can’t be used in Express locations.
“We are constantly looking for ways to make Clubcard work harder for our customers,” a Tesco spokesperson explained.
“We are currently offering Your Clubcard Prices to a trial group of our Clubcard members, giving them offers on products they regularly buy at Tesco, in addition to the thousands of Clubcard Prices available to all Clubcard members each week.”
The news that Tesco is trialling personalised Clubcard offers comes after the retailer was advised by leading consumer watchdog, Which?, last February to make prices clearer for customers.