Some redundancies have been announced as a last minute bid to save the Wilko group estate has fallen through.
Administrators PwC have been working closely with Wilko, employees and suppliers and have considered multiple varied bids and expressions of interest related to the Group. While discussions continue with those interested in buying parts of the business, it is now clear that no viable offer put forward includes the Group in its entirety.
PwC say this means it has been necessary to assess the roles required in Wilko’s Support Centre in Worksop and distribution centres in Worksop and Newport. Sadly, today (August 31) the decision has had to be taken to make 269 Support Centre team member roles redundant, effective from close of business on Monday 4th September – with further redundancies across the two distribution centres from early next week.
No viable offers have been received for Kin Limited (Kin), a subsidiary of Wilkinson Hardware Stores Ltd (WHSL). As such, the company has had to close, sadly resulting in the redundancies of its 14 employees – also effective from close of business on Monday 4th September.
The administration’s dedicated employee team will continue to work with HR and payroll to provide support to team members, including assisting in the statutory redundancy claims process with the Redundancy Payments Service.
A dedicated helpline remains in place to ensure employees can address queries they have regarding the process, and company support systems with access to further advice and resources remain active.
Budget retail chain Wilko officially went into administration on August 10. The firm has stores in Ramsgate and Westwood Cross. Some 400 stores and 12,000 jobs are at risk.
Jane Steer, joint administrator, said: “It’s with great sadness that we announce these redundancies. We’re incredibly grateful to these team members for the support and dedication they’ve shown to the company, particularly over the last few very difficult weeks.
“We will continue to do all that we can to support staff through this period of difficult upheaval, and to maximise their opportunities for a rapid return to work. Our priority is to ensure that all team members affected by redundancy are assisted in processing their claims with immediate effect.
“We will be circulating correspondence to all staff as soon as possible which will outline the support available to complete redundancy payment forms. Advice and assistance will also be available from Job Centre Plus and other agencies.”
All stores are currently trading and remain open.
