Warrington Wilko looking empty as stores to close down

Located in the Golden Square, Wilko has been a staple of Warrington's high street scene for a number of years.

It was announced in August that the department store chain was entering administration, with hopes being held that a buyer would swoop in to save the well-known chain.

Warrington's Wilko looked derelict over the weekend (Image: Newsquest)

Now, however, the GMB union has confirmed that all 400 Wilko stores will close down, with the brand fading from the country's high streets by October.

This means that the Golden Square store has a maximum of one month left in business before the shutter will come down on the store for good.

All 12,500 staff are expected to be let go from the family-owned business.

Owner of HMV, the billionaire Doug Putman, had hoped to buy the business and keep up to 300 stores open, but a potential takeover bid fell flat following rising costs.

In a statement, Mr Putman said: "It is with great disappointment that we can no longer continue in the purchase process for Wilko having worked with administrators and suppliers over several weeks to seek a viable way to rescue it as a going concern.

"A stable foundation could not be secured to ensure long-term success for the business and its people in the way that we would have wanted."

Many shelves looked empty as the administration sale was announced in Warrington (Image: Newsquest)

Nadine Houghton, national officer at the GMB union, 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.

"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."