Arnold and Carlton branches of Wilko not on closure list – but futures remain uncertain

The Arnold and Carlton branches of Wilko have not been included on a list of stores earmarked for closure next week, but the store’s future remains uncertain.

The 52 Wilko shops set to close next week due to the chain’s collapse have been named, after the chain collapsed earlier this year.

Administrators PwC have revealed that 26 shops will close next Tuesday (12), with a further 28 on Thursday September 14, due to the absence of viable offers for the whole company, making around a thousand staff redundant.

The Arnold and Carlton stores are not on the list, but their future remains unclear after administrators said they couldn’t rule out further branch closures across the country.

Edward Williams, joint administrator, said: “In the absence of viable offers for the whole business, very sadly store closures and redundancies of team members from those stores are now necessary. The loss of these stores will be felt not only by the team members who served them with such dedication, including through the uncertainty of recent weeks, but also the communities which they have been a part of.

“We are enormously grateful for the support of team members during this difficult period and remain committed to doing all we can to help affected staff, assisting them with processing redundancy claims and working with relevant parties to help secure new employment as quickly as possible.”

“Active discussions with parties interested in buying parts of the business continue and the administrators remain committed to preserving as many jobs as possible. However, depending on the outcome of those talks, it is possible that further store closures may regrettably be necessary.”