All 400 branches of collapsed retailer Wilko will close by early October with the “likely” loss of all 12,500 jobs at the chain, according to the GMB.
The union said it was informed of the development by administrators PwC on Monday morning.
The GMB said it meant it was “likely” that all of Wilko’s staff would now be made redundant.
It comes after Sky News revealed earlier that a rescue deal involving the owner of HMV had collapsed.
PwC declined to comment.
Wilko – owned by the founding Wilkinson family for decades – collapsed into administration last month.
Nadine Houghton, GMB national officer, described it as the “death knell” for the discount homeware brand.
She said: “Wilko was far more than a brand, a retailer or the products it sold, it was the thousands of loyal team members now facing an uncertain future.
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Advertisement“Wilko may have ceased genuinely being a family brand many years ago, but the staff kept the real family ethos of Wilko alive until the very end. It is the family that Wilko colleagues made for themselves that will be missed the most.”
She added: “This isn’t a tragedy without cause. Wilko should have thrived in a bargain retail sector that is otherwise strong, but it was run into the ground by the business owners…. No worker caused the downfall of Wilko.”
3:52 Last week: GMB on Wilko job lossesB&M European Value Retail has already agreed to buy 51 Wilko stores which are set to be rebranded. It is unclear if the discount chain will keep on or rehire any of the Wilko staff at the branches.
A retail executive close to the situation said PwC was also seeking to strike an agreement with the owner of Poundland to offload another 100 Wilko outlets.
The 93-year-old chain, which was founded in 1930 in Leicester, collapsed after being hit hard by inflationary pressures, competition from rival retailers and supply chain challenges.
PwC previously announced around 1,600 redundancies at Wilko and confirmed that 52 stores would shut this week after it failed to find a buyer for them.
The following stores will close on Tuesday 12 September:
ActonAldershotBarkingBishop AucklandBletchley FFBrownhillsCamberleyCardiff Bay Retail ParkFalmouthHarpurheyIrvineLiverpool Edge LaneLlandudnoLowestoftMorleyNelsonPort TalbotPutneyStaffordTunbridge WellsWakefieldWeston-super-MareWestwood CrossWinsford
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The following stores will close on Thursday 14 September:
AshfordAvonmeadsBanburyBarrow in FurnessBasildonBelle ValeBurnley (Relocation)ClydebankCortonwoodDagenhamDewsburyEcclesFolkestoneGreat YarmouthHammersmithHuddersfieldMorristonNew MaldenNorth ShieldsQueen Street CardiffRhylSouthampton-West QuaySt AustellStockportTruroUttoxeterWalsallWoking