Wilko's goes into Administration

[WatcherZero]

Only been in a Wilkinson's a couple of times and not since they rebranded as Wilko, seemed to be a mix of discount retailer like B&M or Poundstretcher combined with some homeware wrapped up in the aesthetic and store build quality of your average garden centre or Lidl.

 

[Tracked]

Was only last week a few of us were on about it in the pub, someone went in for handwash and there wasn't any in stock, another knew someone who worked there until recently and by the sounds of it was encouraged to look for a new job about 6 months ago because things weren't looking that good.

Not bought anything from it for some time, but we've got Boyes and B&M shops in town which have a similar range at better prices, although given it's usually fairly quiet on the customer side when I've been in I wonder how long Boyes will be there.

 

[GatwickDepress]

Used to use the Wilko in Bletchley a fair bit, but aside from that, I rarely venture into one now - B&M and online shopping seem to offer better value and better stock levels.

 

[johnnychips]

.

Not bought anything from it for some time, but we've got Boyes and B&M shops in town which have a similar range at better prices, although given it's usually fairly quiet on the customer side when I've been in I wonder how long Boyes will be there.

Not a bad bet, I’d say. I’ve been to the one in Whitby, which had no competition and it was thronging. But the one in Doncaster usually is dead quiet. People go to Home Bargains and B and M instead.

 

[Typhoon]

Is there any other kind these days?

Apparently.

It appears that GB News haven't checked up on the facts either:

Wilko has announced it will shut down 14 stores just days after it confirmed it was on the brink of entering administration.

Stores in Bournemouth, Stockton, The Fort Birmingham, Shipley, Scunthorpe, Narborough Road in Leicester, Grantham, Redditch, Rotherham, Skegness, Llanelli, Merthyr Tydfil, Cleethorpes and Woolwich are all set for closure.

They just seem to have recycled it.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/oth...tp&cvid=5797649998944ef6830be25d086ef8d8&ei=9

 

[Bald Rick]

Had a very brief look round Wilko in St Albans yesterday. Big queues for the tills (as ever), but most of the products on offer could all be had at Sainsburys up the road, generally at lower prices. I’m not sure what relevance Wilko has any more.

 

[J-2739]

Had a very brief look round Wilko in St Albans yesterday. Big queues for the tills (as ever), but most of the products on offer could all be had at Sainsburys up the road, generally at lower prices. I’m not sure what relevance Wilko has any more.

Sainsburys?! Lower prices?!!

 

[richw]

I wonder if some other company will purchase Wilko?

I strongly believe it’s a pre packaged administration, with the investment company that’s loaned them £45m in recent weeks. Believe the investment company own several other high street chains.

 

[david1212]

When I discovered Wilko (maybe less than 20 years ago) I eventually realised that Wilko was like Woolworths were back in the 1970s - useful diy and homeware things. Woolworths eventually became an over sized sweet shop with toys and less and less other more household/diy/hobby things. I ceased regularly walking through Woolworths back in the 1990s or thereabouts as there was unlikely to be anything to interest me. Wilko filled that gap despite not being in Croydon - will now be at a loss as we don't even have a proper hardware shop in town.

The expansion of Wilko filled the gap left by Woolworths. Now history is repeating unless most stores can be saved retaining the product range.

Apparently.

It appears that GB News haven't checked up on the facts either:

Wilko has announced it will shut down 14 stores just days after it confirmed it was on the brink of entering administration.

Stores in Bournemouth, Stockton, The Fort Birmingham, Shipley, Scunthorpe, Narborough Road in Leicester, Grantham, Redditch, Rotherham, Skegness, Llanelli, Merthyr Tydfil, Cleethorpes and Woolwich are all set for closure.


They just seem to have recycled it.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/oth...tp&cvid=5797649998944ef6830be25d086ef8d8&ei=9

The one in the centre of Bournemouth closed last year, February I recall.

Blackpool Wilko closed for the redevelopment that includes trams to the North Station. They had committed to a unit in the Houndshill centre which could now leave a big hole. The council bought the latter and have been redeveloping it.

.... Not bought anything from it for some time, but we've got Boyes and B&M shops in town which have a similar range at better prices, although given it's usually fairly quiet on the customer side when I've been in I wonder how long Boyes will be there.

Back in 2019 I wandered into Boyes in both Bridlington and Scarborough, probably Whitby too perhaps not realising it was Boyes. Generally given this was the first weekend of school holidays so peak holiday season I was suprised how quiet Bridlington was, when I said this to the host their response was this is as busy as 'Brid' gets now.


Around here all B&M and The Range are on retail parks / out of town. On the 'High Street' for toiletries and household cleaning there is Savers but other than Poundland nothing for the rest. WH Smith are extortionate for stationary.

 

[tomuk]

I strongly believe it’s a pre packaged administration, with the investment company that’s loaned them £45m in recent weeks. Believe the investment company own several other high street chains.

Yes Hilco are involved who can seem to make money when everyone else is losing it.

 

[Typhoon]

The one in the centre of Bournemouth closed last year, February I recall.

I deliberately excluded Bournemouth as, although I knew about that, Wilko claim they currently have two in Bournemouth (the one in Winton and the one in Boscombe). My geography of the area is not good enough to decide whether they are really Bournemouth and having already promoted an article which is correct only in parts. I didn't want to add to the disquiet. The store list has been haphazardly put together - while Kenilworth and Kettering get mentioned as towns Kent is jut included as a county - it is big county and lots of parts are nowhere near either of the two; Lewisham and the aforementioned Woolwich are mentioned by name, but Thamesmead (near but further out than either) is lumped in with London. (I notice the same article is also being quoted in the Manchester Evening News.}

 

[Busaholic]

I deliberately excluded Bournemouth as, although I knew about that, Wilko claim they currently have two in Bournemouth (the one in Winton and the one in Boscombe). My geography of the area is not good enough to decide whether they are really Bournemouth and having already promoted an article which is correct only in parts. I didn't want to add to the disquiet. The store list has been haphazardly put together - while Kenilworth and Kettering get mentioned as towns Kent is jut included as a county - it is big county and lots of parts are nowhere near either of the two; Lewisham and the aforementioned Woolwich are mentioned by name, but Thamesmead (near but further out than either) is lumped in with London. (I notice the same article is also being quoted in the Manchester Evening News.}

There should be at least one individual near the top in Wilkinson management who keeps in their head the precise location of every branch: if there is not, it just goes to show it deserves to fail, harsh though that might sound.

 

[johntea]

Even the website doesn't seem to know where the branches are let alone the management...if you look on the store locator Castleford is shoved under Wakefield! (Yet Pontefract is there as a main entry)

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Back in 2019 I wandered into Boyes in both Bridlington and Scarborough, probably Whitby too perhaps not realising it was Boyes.

How nationwide does the Boyes empire stretch? Is it mainly Yorkshire and the East Midlands?

Not suggesting in anyway that they are a company expected to disappear.

 

[SteveM70]

How nationwide does the Boyes empire stretch? Is it mainly Yorkshire and the East Midlands?

Not suggesting in anyway that they are a company expected to disappear.

And the north east. There are a few oddities including a store in March

 

[david1212]

How nationwide does the Boyes empire stretch? Is it mainly Yorkshire and the East Midlands?

Not suggesting in anyway that they are a company expected to disappear.

Yorkshire and the East Midlands plus Co. Durham, Tyne & Wear and a couple North West e.g. Kendal see

https://www.boyes.co.uk/storelocator/index

I deliberately excluded Bournemouth as, although I knew about that, Wilko claim they currently have two in Bournemouth (the one in Winton and the one in Boscombe). My geography of the area is not good enough to decide whether they are really Bournemouth and having already promoted an article which is correct only in parts. I didn't want to add to the disquiet. The store list has been haphazardly put together - while Kenilworth and Kettering get mentioned as towns Kent is jut included as a county - it is big county and lots of parts are nowhere near either of the two; Lewisham and the aforementioned Woolwich are mentioned by name, but Thamesmead (near but further out than either) is lumped in with London. (I notice the same article is also being quoted in the Manchester Evening News.}

Debatable generally if Boscombe and Winton are lumped with Bournemouth or specifically identified, to me the latter but while there will always be anomalies as you rightly say the list is very inconsistent.

 

[Trainguy34]

I hope my local Wilkos will be turned in to a B&M even if it does mean there will be 3 in the city however the current 2 are hard to get to if you don't drive, especially since the uni of Kent is very nearby and nowhere sells the basics such as a cloths rack, ironing board and general home stuff like kitchen appliances and B&M is the closest I can think of, especially for the home, garden and seasonal items.

 

[brad465]

Wilko now officially in administration:

Wilko collapses into administration putting 12,000 jobs at risk

The High Street homeware retailer has been unable to find a rescuer for its 400 stores.

www.bbc.co.uk

Wilko, the High Street homeware retailer, has collapsed into administration putting 12,000 jobs at risk.
The chain has been unable to find emergency investment to save its 400 shops across the UK.
Wilko had been working to secure a white knight for the business which has been trading since 1930.
The firm's boss, Mark Jackson, said management had "left no stone unturned" in its attempts to save the business.
"But must concede that with regret, we've no choice but to take the difficult decision to enter into administration," he said.

 

[Gemz91]

Big advantage Wilkos has in my city is that it is in the city centre, where as B & m, Home Bargains and B & Q, along with the super markets are in out of town retail parks. Looking round Wilkos it tends to be mainly older folk who travel into town using their free bus passes, buying one or two items. I’m not sure how much that is similar to other cities, but it’s a shame for those who rely on the buses that Wilkos may be closing, as it’s the only store of the type in my city centre. Not sure where mild Dorris will get her cleaning products if it shuts down.

 

[Busaholic]

Big advantage Wilkos has in my city is that it is in the city centre, where as B & m, Home Bargains and B & Q, along with the super markets are in out of town retail parks. Looking round Wilkos it tends to be mainly older folk who travel into town using their free bus passes, buying one or two items. I’m not sure how much that is similar to other cities, but it’s a shame for those who rely on the buses that Wilkos may be closing, as it’s the only store of the type in my city centre. Not sure where mild Dorris will get her cleaning products if it shuts down.

In the small city of Truro Wilko's is the most prominent shop in the centre, having once been a British Home Stores and, like your city, rivals are either non-existent or out of town. The shop had been vacant for some while before Wilkos took it and I envisage it being boarded up once more.

 

[PTR 444]

In the nearest large town to where I live, Wilko is the only large chain outlet occupying the upper floor of the main shopping centre. The only other units are tiny independent businesses leading to the car park, while the big department store is now an NHS walk-in centre. Most of the other shops closed down within the past decade, so would be devastating for the town if Wilko suffers the same fate.

 

[xotGD]

Big advantage Wilkos has in my city is that it is in the city centre

That's their problem, not an advantage.

Shoppers are driving to B&M, parking for free, loading up a load of gear and not even thinking of visiting a city centre Wilko.

 

[Gemz91]

That's their problem, not an advantage.

Shoppers are driving to B&M, parking for free, loading up a load of gear and not even thinking of visiting a city centre Wilko.

You’re right, think I was meant to write disadvantage not advantage!

 

[66701GBRF]

That's their problem, not an advantage.

Shoppers are driving to B&M, parking for free, loading up a load of gear and not even thinking of visiting a city centre Wilko.

Indeed. I think most highstreets are dead and any that are clinging on are on borrowed time. Councils seem hell bent on making it ever harder and more expensive for cars to travel to towns and highstreets. The American model of having big box stores situated together out of towns seems to be the way it is all heading.

 

[PTR 444]

That's their problem, not an advantage.

Shoppers are driving to B&M, parking for free, loading up a load of gear and not even thinking of visiting a city centre Wilko.

Erm, surely Wilko’s presence is an advantage as people without a car can access city centre outlets which are more likely to be on a bus route?

The American model of having big box stores situated together out of towns seems to be the way it is all heading.

So what do you do if you don’t have a car?

 

[duncanp]

Indeed. I think most highstreets are dead and any that are clinging on are on borrowed time. Councils seem hell bent on making it ever harder and more expensive for cars to travel to towns and highstreets. The American model of having big box stores situated together out of towns seems to be the way it is all heading.

Both out of town and city centre stores are affected by the growth of on line shopping.

I was in America earlier on this year, and even there some big name shopping malls are either closing completely or reducing their opening hours.

The impending closure of the Trafford Centre in Manchester is symptomatic of the general trend.

 

[birchesgreen]

Erm, surely Wilko’s presence is an advantage as people without a car can access city centre outlets which are more likely to be on a bus route?

Yes but unfortunately not enough to remain viable and in this "capitalist paradise" and no one (in power or wider society indeed) cares about those who falls through the gaps.

 

[johntea]

Someone also made quite a good point that the town centre stores generally knock off at 5 - 5:30pm compared to retail parks at 8pm - 10pm, so the only busy period will be the weekend trading when most people aren't at work!

 

[DelW]

The impending closure of the Trafford Centre in Manchester is symptomatic of the general trend.

I can't see any confirmation of that in online sources, are you able to elaborate?

For what it's worth, I happened to be in the Westfield centres at Stratford and Shepherds Bush early last week, and while I did see some empty units in the latter, both seemed to be pretty busy for early in the week.

 

[RT4038]

So what do you do if you don’t have a car?

You usually have a less convenient/longer journey to reach the store, maybe requiring multiple buses