Poundland is set to re-open a further nine former Wilko stores across the UK this weekend under their brand.
This is the fourth round of re-openings and will take the total number of former Wilko sites operating as Poundlands across the UK to 37.
Wilko entered administration in August leaving all 400 stores and 12,500 employees at risk.
Administrators at PwC were forced to sell off Wilko’s assets after failing to secure a rescue deal for the whole business.
More than 250 Wilko stores have shut across the UK, with the final round of closures taking place in early October.
However, there are a number of sites across the UK that have been saved and will relaunched under a new high-street brand.
Fellow high street retailer B&M bought 51 Wilko stores at the beginning of September in a deal thought to be worth around £13 million.
While The Range agreed to a deal to buy Wilko’s brand for around £5 million.
Poundland owner Pepco also agreed on a deal earlier this month to buy 71 Wilko stores from administrator PwC following the collapse of the high street chain.
The former Wilko stores re-opening as Poundlands
Poundland revealed it is set to re-open another nine former Wilko stores under their brand on Saturday, October 21:
The 9 former Wilko sites, re-opening as Poundland stores on Saturday (October 21) are:
- Brentwood
- Altrincham
- Worksop
- West Ealing
- Wembley
- Sale
- Seaham
- Selly Oak
- Bishops Stortford
Updated Wilko News
— Poundland (@Poundland) October 17, 2023
We’re opening another nine Wilko stores this Saturday in Brentwood, Altrincham, Worksop, West Ealing, Wembley, Sale, Seaham, Selly Oak & Bishops Stortford, which means we’ll have 37 former Wilkos stores trading by this weekend. 1/2
This is the fourth round of former Wilko stores Poundland has re-opened.
The stores already re-opened as Poundlands are:
- Broad Street, Chell Road, Stafford, Staffordshire, West Midlands
- Pendle Rise Shopping Centre, Nelson, Lancashire
- The Peel Centre, Great Portwood Street, Stockport, Greater Manchester
- The Mall, Church Street, Eccles, Manchester
- London Street, Southport, Merseyside
- Lord Street, Leigh, Greater Manchester
- East Street, Barking, London
- High Street, Maidenhead, Berkshire
- Bede Precinct, Viking Centre, Jarrow, South Tyneside
- The Broadway, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire
- Melton Mowbray
- Matlock
- Chepstow
- Nottingham
- Worcester
- Ellesmere Port
- Brigg
- Redruth
- Ferndown
- Pontypool
- Ripley
- Bolton
- Gateshead
- Bicester
- Peterborough
- Sheffield
- Cramlington
- Aberdare
- Rugeley
After Saturday's (October 21) re-openings, there will be a total of 37 former Wilko stores trading as Poundlands across the UK.
Poundland said it aims to open all the Wilko stores it bought by the end of 2023 before giving them all a full makeover in 2024 so they become “fully operational Poundlands”.
Wilko staff offered priority access to Poundland jobs
Poundland said it is continuing to "prioritise" former Wilko staff for roles amid the raft of store re-openings across the UK.
No workers were directly transferred to Poundland as part of the rescue deal, but Poundland has encouraged former Wilko staff to apply for roles and said it would “prioritise” them for positions at the stores.
Poundland said it has already made hundreds of job offers to former Wilko staff, with that number "increasing day-by-day”.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here