The beginning of the end for Wilko in Erewash as Long Eaton store closure date announced

With the collapse of high street retailer Wilko gathering pace as store closures begin to be implemented, the Long Eaton branch has been included in a list of five Derbyshire based stores to shut its doors for good.

Adminstrators took the steps after failing to save any significant part of the company's operations.  On Monday 11th September 2023, staff at 124 stores were told that their site will close on or before Thursday 21st September but staff at 222 other stores - including the branch on Bath Street in Ilkeston - await their ultimate fate and end of their employment.

Amongst the Derbyshire stores, the Wilko store in Long Eaton will close on Tuesday 19th September.  A reported 12,500 people nationwide are affected by the company collapse, with over 9,000 further redundancies, 886 warehouse staff being made redundant on Friday, and with the loss of 210 staff at a support centre, early in October.

A statement from Zelf Hussain, joint administrator at Price Waterhouse Cooper said: "Despite the significant and intensive efforts of both ourselves and Putman Investments - the remaining party interested in buying a significant part of the business as a going concern - a transaction could not be progressed due to the inability to reduce central infrastructure costs quickly enough to make a deal commercially viable."

The statement praised the courage of staff at the troubled firm during the prolonged period of uncertainty and concern.  It said: "The dedication shown by all team members during this period has been hugely humbling and we are grateful for the patience and understanding they have shown.  As with those who have already been given notice of redundancy, we will guide and support those team members impacted over the coming weeks through the redundancy claims process."

"We continue to collaborate closely with relevant agencies and engage with any potential employers to help facilitate a quick return into new employment for those impacted.  We continue to work with potential buyers for different buyers for different parts of the business and are confident of completing transactions in the coming days".

Stores in Alfreton, Matlock, Belper and Allestree will also close on either 19th or 21st September. An agreement has been reached to sell 51 Wilko stores to B&M for £13m but the deal is for 'bricks and mortar' only and not those who worked within.  Details of the 51 stores are not known, but both Long Eaton and Ilkeston already have B&M stores within close proximity to existing WIlko sites.