 Administrators for the stricken retailer Wilko have denied plans to close stores next week after the GMB union said 'the majority' would be shut. The GMB, which represents more than 3,000 of Wilko's 12,500 staff, said it was told the high street chain is set to announce a raft of redundancies as a result. However, administrators at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said claims the stricken retailer would close stores next week were 'speculation'. The retailer tumbled into administration two weeks ago, putting the future of its 400 shops in doubt. Administrators from PwC then sought offers from potentially interested firms in an effort to save jobs and stores. The union said on Wednesday it was told in a meeting that 'there is no longer any prospect that the majority of the business will be saved'. As a result, it said there are expected to be redundancies affecting staff in stores and call centres. Some stores may still be bought, either individually or as part of larger packages, as part of the insolvency process. A general view of a Wilko store in Northampton, Northamptonshire (Picture: PA) Rivals Poundland, B&M, The Range and Home Bargains were reportedly among the firms interested in parts of the Wilko business. In a statement, the joint administrators of Wilko denied the claims and said: 'In the immediate term, all stores remain open, continue to trade and staff continue to be paid. 'Contrary to speculation, there are currently no plans to close any stores next week.' But the administrators admitted 'redundancies and store closures in the future' were 'likely' and said employees representatives had been informed. The statement from Jane Steer, Zelf Hussain and Edward Williams of PwC, joint administrators of Wilkinson Hardware Stores Ltd, Wilko Ltd and Wilko.com Ltd, continued: 'Since our appointment as administrators of Wilko, we have held extensive discussions with parties who expr){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Administrators for the stricken retailer Wilko have denied plans to close stores next week after the GMB union said ‘the majority’ would be shut.
The GMB, which represents more than 3,000 of Wilko’s 12,500 staff, said it was told the high street chain is set to announce a raft of redundancies as a result.
However, administrators at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said claims the stricken retailer would close stores next week were ‘speculation’.
The retailer tumbled into administration two weeks ago, putting the future of its 400 shops in doubt.