Wilko branches close: More than 1,000 employees have to be laid off

Wilko management has confirmed it will lay off more than 1,000 workers and close 52 stores, the GMB Union said.

Employees will be informed no later than Wednesday at 10 a.m.

GMB said 24 of the sites will close on Tuesday, September 12, while the remaining 28 will close two days later, resulting in 1,016 redundancies.

Further Wilko employees will be laid off

The job losses also include 299 jobs at the company’s two warehouses, with workers being invited to a meeting on Wednesday after which they will be allowed to go home, GMB said.

There will be another 17 layoffs Wilko‘s Digital team in its support center.

The GMB said PwC was still working with a bidder Wilko “who made an offer for a significant part of the business”.

It added: “Although there is a possibility that this will not succeed, we are working very hard and doing everything we can to get it over the finish line.”

The union also pointed out that workers at the 51 stores that B&M said it had bought on Tuesday will not automatically be transferred to the new owner.

“Considering that all details, including the number of stores involved, are covered by confidentiality agreements, we can say that such an offer appears to only apply to storefronts. This would mean that new brands could open locally, but workers would not switch to them,” it said.

The union added: “We are inquiring about the possibility of current employees receiving preferential treatment when applying for potential positions, but at the time of writing we cannot confirm that this will apply.”

Edward Williams, co-administrator at PwC, said: “Unfortunately, in the absence of viable offers across the business, branch closures and layoffs of team members from those branches are now required, in addition to the already announced layoffs in the support center and distribution centers.

“We know this has been a deeply troubling time for everyone involved and would like to express our gratitude to all Wilko team members for the dedication and support they have continued to give the company, even in the most difficult circumstances.”