Wilko: Poundland owner to rescue one Birmingham store following first wave of Wilko closures

One Birmingham Wilko store has been earmarked for rescue by Poundland as two in Walsall are shutting their doors for good this week

By Fionnuala Bourke

Published 14th Sep 2023, 10:02 BST

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.

Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

The owner of Poundland has agreed to take on dozens of Wilko stores, including one in Birmingham. Wilko collapsed into administration earlier this month, putting more than 12,000 jobs and 400 stores across the UK at risk.

The retailer, which has been on British high streets for more than 90 years, began its first wave of store closures on Tuesday (September 12) after failing to secure rescue deal. Brownhills was one of the first to close its doors, and further closures, including one in Walsall, are expected to take place on Thursday (September 14), totalling the loss of 52 branches.

This week’s closures will result in 1,016 redundancies, while administrators have also announced hundreds of other job cuts impacting warehouse and support centre staff. The remaining 346 Wilko stores are scheduled for closure by early next month.

Which Wilko store in Birmingham is being rescued by Poundland?

Now Pepco Group, which owns Poundland in the UK, is expected to taken on the leases of up 71 Wilko stores, and convert them into Poundland shops, with Wilko employees given priority when applying for new jobs at Poundland. Included in the deal is the Wiko store in Selly Oak.

Poundland managing director Barry Williams said: “In the coming weeks we will work quickly with landlords so we can open these stores as Poundlands with the new ranges that have been pivotal to our recent development. And once that process is complete, we will ensure a significant number of the Wilko colleagues will join our Poundland team.”

B&M has also said it will take on up to 51 of Wilko’s 400 shops in a deal worth £13m, with the BBC stating that te stores will be rebranded as B&M shops, although it is not clear yet whether any jobs will be saved or if Wilko workers will be given preference if they apply for roles at the B&M shops.

Full list of stores being taken on by Pepco Group

Wilko Poundland Administration Jobs

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.