Wilko Has Gone Into Administration...

[pastafreak]

How long before shops actually close?

[MargoTester]

That's sad I always liked their shops, having said that it's ages since ive been in one as we don't have one near us. I tend to use Dunelm now.

[DTCwordfan]

Depends on the administrators and if there is a chance of someone lifting them out for a snip....also time for selling as much stock as possible.

[pastafreak]

Margo...I go in every week as there is one in the city centre. Pet food, paint, cleaning stuff, plants,...I've bought them all there.
Stock has definitely been on the thin side for a number of months though.
DT...that's about what I'd thought...vague.

[MargoTester]

I would imagine the rise of B & M would have made a difference too

[Hopkirk]

No doubt Mike Ashley is having a sniff.

[maggiebee]

The only Wilko shops in Scotland are centred around Glasgow. Never been in one, but always sad when another chain closes.

[-SharonA-]

Oh no!! I love Wilkos!! I will miss them.

[nicebloke1]

No big shock really, there are far to many shops all selling much about the same product, and all fighting for a share of a reduced footfall. A lot of what Wilko sell is trash homewear products, and lets face it to keep that market going you need a good house sale market, the latter is on the floor. The rest of what they sell can be gotten from any supermarket, including homewear in most cases.

[barry1010]

Not many supermarkets sell paint, wallpaper and decorating equipment; home brew; nails and screws by weight and DIY and gardening tools.
I suppose The Range will fill the gap if there is sufficient demand.

[237SJ]

It's a real shame. Our local one is still going. I don't agree that Wilko sells trash though. They seem to sell a lot of the stuff that Woolworths sold and the kind of produce you want to buy from a corner shop (if they still existed) bird food, gardening stuff etc.

[pastafreak]

What are "trash homeware products" ?

[nicebloke1]

I just see Wilko homewear for young people just starting out with their first home. But I also think the shutdown due to covid did a lot of damage to some of these big shops. You cant go on for months on end with no turnover.

[nicebloke1]

19.57 Cheap! Made with poor materials, dont last before you have to renew again. Buy cheap, by twice.

[237SJ]

In this area (where we have a a lot of immigrants and they want to buy at reasonable prices) our Wilko does quite well. I was in there today and it's always fairly busy. Lockdown had a lot to do with people's shopping habits. People became lazy and want to sit at home and just buy online. The result is a dead high street and people losing their jobs (not that anyone seems to care about that)

[pastafreak]

Yes...it's affordable homeware. I've got a toaster and microwave...among other things I've bought there...that have lasted for ages.
Because it's affordable that makes it available not just to those starting out, but to oldies like me. I agree with Barry regarding all the home decorating bits and bobs.
I've never had complaints about quality.
I do agree that the pandemic along with other factors has hastened the demise of a lot of businesses.

[237SJ]

It wasn't the pandemic. It was the Gov and public response to the pandemic but best not start me on that.

[Gettingonabit]

I wouldn't say they sell trash either. I've bought numerous things from them that have lasted ages. The variety of the things they sell under one roof will be missed.

[Buenchico]

There's still a reasonable chance that the company will survive. There were several potential buyers lined up but none of them could finalise a deal before the deadline for the company going into administration. The administrators will now be talking to the firms who've shown interest in Wilko, in the hope that some (or even all) of their shops can be saved.

However one doesn't need to be an expert retail analyst to see where Wilko has been going wrong. I've driven to B&M this evening, on the edge of Ipswich, to buy some items that I could have also purchased in Wilko. (If they'd not been in stock, I could then have tried The Range and/or Dunelm, both of which are on the same retail park). To have used Wilko though
(a) I'd have had to have driven further (into Ipswich town centre) ;
(b) I'd have had to go before 6.30pm, when the Wilko store closes, rather than being able to shop until 8pm at any of its three rivals that I've mentioned ;
(c) if the items I'd wanted were out of stock, I wouldn't have had any alternative store close to hand (making me less likely to try Wilko in the first place) ; and
(d) I'd have had to pay £2.45 per hour to park in the nearest car park and then carry my purchases back to there (rather than being able to park outside the store, as I did at B&M).

While Wilko's doggedness in sticking primarily to town centre sites has benefited the relatively small number of people who still shop in town centres these days, their failure to move to edge-of-town retail parks has clearly cost them dearly.

[douglas9401]

"The only Wilko shops in Scotland are centred around Glasgow."

"Around Glasgow" now includes Livingston, Edinburgh, Ayr and Irvine, maggie? :-)

[237SJ]

They tended to fill the spaces that Woolworths vacated though. Our Wilko has done very well though and we have free parking. I think people just be can't be bothered to go to the shops. We have two Sainsburys near here (one of them is within walking distance) but my neighbours get their shopping delivered by Sainsburys. People can't be arsed to put themselves out and go shopping.