Wilko: Union says remaining stores will close next month

And it is understood the closures will also include branches in York and Selby.

Wilko administrators have been negotiating a rescue package with interested parties since their appointment in August.

Rival discount retailer B&M bought 51 stores in a reported deal worth £13 million, and 52 stores had already been selected for closure on Tuesday September 12 or Thursday September 14.

Wilko has stores at Clifton Moor in York and Abbey Walk Shopping Center in Selby and these have not yet been listed in any official announcement.

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PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) was appointed to oversee the insolvency proceedings in August and is said to have held discussions with HMV owner Doug Pitman about the remaining 300 or so Wilko stores.

These talks are said to have failed.

According to a GMB announcement today, both of Wilko’s distribution centers will close on Friday (September 15) and a second round of store closures will be announced tomorrow (September 12).

The union says a layoff of all remaining workers at Wilko is “now likely.”

Nadine Houghton, GMB national representative, said: “Wilko was much more than a brand, a retailer or the products it sold, it was the thousands of loyal team members who now face an uncertain future.”

She added: “This is not a tragedy without cause. Wilko should have thrived in an otherwise strong bargain retail sector, but the company was driven into ruin by business owners.”