Wilkos in Northampton: Closing date revealed for one massive store in town and updates over future of two other stores

A closing date has been revealed for a massive Wilko store in Northampton town centre.

This newspaper visited all three Wilko stores in Northampton on Thursday (September 14) after the firm was placed into administration last month (August) – here’s what we saw.

All three Wilkos in Northampton – Gold Street, Riverside, and Weston Favell – have signs in the windows advertising ‘administration sales’ with items selling at whopping discount prices.

At the time of writing (Thursday, September 14), Wilkos in Gold Street has a sign on the shop front saying it is closing down in eight days, which would be on Friday, September 22.

Wilkos in Weston Favell had no closing down date on its shop front. Instead, it had handwritten posters on windows asking members of the public not to ask staff about when the store is closing.

The posters read: “We politely ask that you be considerate to our members of staff and not ask about when the store is closing as we do not know any information. We are continuing to give the best possible customer service that we can during these uncertain times. Many thanks.”

Similar posters were also up at Wilkos in Riverside Retail Park. They read: “We kindly ask that you do not ask staff about the closure of our stores – we do not know. We are trying to remain positive and busy to bring you the best service we can. Thank you for your support.”

Employees at both Gold Street and Weston Favell told this newspaper they have been instructed not to talk to the press.

Latest Wilko news

Wilko fell into administration in August after grappling with sharp losses and a cash shortage.

The Range has struck a £5m deal to buy the Wilko brand after a rescue bid for the wider business collapsed. It means The Range will own Wilko’s website and may choose to stock some of its products across its 210 UK stores.

It is understood that 36 Wilko staff have transferred over to The Range, which expects online operations to restart next month. But the the deal will not prevent Wilko shops disappearing from the UK high street and nearly all of the company’s 12,500 staff will lose their jobs.

After administrators were unable to find a buyer for the whole business, Wilko’s rivals have been snapping up parts of the company. On Tuesday (September 12), the owner of Poundland agreed a deal to take on the leases of “up to” 71 Wilko shops, which will reopen under its own brand – none of which included Northamptonshire.

Another rival retailer B&M has also agreed to buy 51 of Wilko’s shops – including the Northamptonshire ones – in a £13m deal. It means some staff could be re-employed in these stores as a result.

Jane Steer, one of the PwC administrators, said Wilko “remains a much loved and trusted brand within the UK”, adding that deal with The Range means “the Wilko name lives on”. The firm’s chief executive, Alex Simpkin, said The Range was “delighted” to have bought the Wilko brand, which “comes at a time when consumers are more than ever wanting to shop with confidence for value and quality”.