Wilko’s….

it used to be good. when it was called wilkinsons.
last time i went in there, about a year ago, it had gone downhill; half empty shelves, shoddy goods and over-priced.

Wilko used to be my ‘Go to’ for so many house and garden things before I moved. Now The Range is nearer but I have fond memories of Wilko, especially their paint and would hate to see it go.

We couldn’t get any grass seed from them this spring. That’s when we realised there was a problem as we always buy our grass seed from them. I make a once yearly trip to a local town to have my car MOT’d every November and Wilko’s is the biggest store there now that the Coop has closed. I used to love spending an afternoon shopping at Wilko’s and the Coop ( it was a proper old fashioned Coop store,too.).The little town now seems to solely consist of charity shops. Another nearby town has just had a Lidl built next to the Coop supermarket that has always been there, so I’m sure its days are now numbered. Can never understand how some of these stores get planning permission. Another little town that I only go to when I have a dental appointment now seems to consist of barbers and micro pubs.

I’ve got so many plants that I’ve bought from Wilko’s over the years: you know those really cheap plants that were always outside the shop wrapped in plastic. On top of all this a local hardware shop has closed down and I keep needing little bits and bobs to repair things.

I really like shopping at Wilko and theit washing up Liquid is absolutely brilliant so will be stocking up on that!.
I was shocked when I heard it on the news didn’t expect it at all

There isn’t one on our high street, and I’ve hoped for one since Woolworth’s closed - that’s not looking likely now though.

I was surprised to hear the Wilko news today. There’s one near me - it’s always quite busy and I buy most of my cleaning materials in bulk there. It’s good for seasonal stuff too for gardens and 🎄stuff.

I bought about 20packets of seeds from there a couple of weeks ago. They had some for 50p and some RHS ones for £1, I’m going to pop back to see if they’ve got any left. I agree they’ve gone downhill generally lately, loads of empty shelves and a gloomy atmosphere.

I used to shop there but our local Wilko is in the wrong place. There are no other useful shops near it and parking nearby is expensive now.

I think it is one of those shops that it is easy to say well that's no surprise.

I’ll miss them, good prices for gardening bits and household, maybe too good.

Recently I went to our two nearest branches and there were no customers walking round. There were loads of empty shelves and no staff on the tills.

Our local Wilko is usually busy.A shame they are going . hey were great for seeds, dog treats , toiletries, paint and craft things for children.

I believe Wilkinsons started in the East Midlands. Our first experience with them was in the 70s when we lived in Leicester. We bought all our cutlery, kitchen gadgets, tea towels, mugs etc there and my husband used to buy all his nuts, nails and screws there for DIY projects. They were all sold loose then.

Until a couple of years ago we still had a Wilkinsons egg poacher which we bought around 1977! We finally bought a non stick one, but our old one served us very well.

The one in our town is next to a Poundland shop - perhaps in hard times, people are drifting towards the cheapest shops.

If it goes I shall really miss it.

Primrose53

I believe Wilkinsons started in the East Midlands. Our first experience with them was in the 70s when we lived in Leicester. We bought all our cutlery, kitchen gadgets, tea towels, mugs etc there and my husband used to buy all his nuts, nails and screws there for DIY projects. They were all sold loose then.

Until a couple of years ago we still had a Wilkinsons egg poacher which we bought around 1977! We finally bought a non stick one, but our old one served us very well.

Yes, used to go to the one on Uppingham Road!

My three closest Wilkos are all well situated in areas with good parking and amongst other well visited shops. It has been annoying lately how some of the shelves have been half empty but I didn't suspect they could be going under. A shame, I've bought plenty there in the past.

Fleurpepper

Primrose53

I believe Wilkinsons started in the East Midlands. Our first experience with them was in the 70s when we lived in Leicester. We bought all our cutlery, kitchen gadgets, tea towels, mugs etc there and my husband used to buy all his nuts, nails and screws there for DIY projects. They were all sold loose then.

Until a couple of years ago we still had a Wilkinsons egg poacher which we bought around 1977! We finally bought a non stick one, but our old one served us very well.

Yes, used to go to the one on Uppingham Road!

Hey! That’s the one we used Fleurpepper. We used to live near Scraptoft and called on the way home from work. There was a Tesco store across the road and we used to get our weekly shop for the 2 of us for. £12!!

Blimey - so we were neighbours!

Wilko has have been in trouble for a while but something seems off.

Despite being allowed to stay open during the pandemic as an essential retailer, Wilko revenue to February 2021 fell by 10%. That doesn’t sound particularly surprising for an accounting period when the country was in lockdown and people were only supposed to shop for essential goods but it has also been reported that, year-on-year, footfall has been falling by 40%.

Commentators have pointed out that similar businesses such as Home Bargains and B&M were not similarly affected. To June 2021, Home Bargains reported revenue up by 20% and B&M up by 25%.

According to The Guardian:

Last year [Wilko] borrowed £40m from the restructuring specialist Hilco, cut jobs, rejigged its leadership team and sold off a distribution centre as it faced a cash squeeze after falling to a loss.

Sales fell as the retailer had to leave gaps on shelves after it struggled to pay suppliers and at least one credit insurer withdrew trade cover, prompting some suppliers to pause deliveries.

Despite its problems, the owners of Wilko, led by the Wilkinson family, took £3m in dividends in the 12 months to the end of February 2022. In accounts filed at Companies House last year, the group’s auditors warned it had “insufficient committed financing” to withstand a “severe but plausible downturn in trading activity”.

Hilco, which owns Homebase and once owned HMV, is likely to be in a prime position to take control of Wilko should it fall into administration as one of its biggest creditors.

www.theguardian.com/business/2023/aug/03/budget-retailer-wilko-makes-administration-move-risking-12000-jobs

Hilco are often there when companies go out of business. It sounds like Wilko will be joining a long list of their clients which have disappeared from our high streets including BHS, Littlewoods, JJB Sports, Maplins, Staples, Woolworths and many others.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilco_Capital

So it could be the cost of that £40 million borrowing but why would Home Bargains and B&M have been doing well over 2020/21 when Wilko wasn’t? Any ideas? Do they sell broadly similar things? Do they compete with one another in the same towns and cities?

I ll be very sorry to see Wilco go it has always been bright and fully stocked here quite a big store and although never crowded seemed to have a steady flow of customers
I liked their goods that bit cheaper than bigger stores but not as crappy as pound shops a nice inbetween I buy lots of gardening stuff as well as other things The Range is good but much more expensive than Wilco
Sad day

Not surprised we have a very large Wilko about 2 miles away. It's gone down hill since way before lockdown.
There is only ever one till open never anyone on customer services. Never anyone on the shop floor if you need help.
The only assistant to be seen is on the till she has been saying for years they won't take staff on. The constant shop lifting never stops they don't employ security! I think they are the cause of their own demise.

I'd be very sorry to see it go. I've long been a Wilko fan and was devastated - OK, mildly miffed- to discover that I'd moved home to a place that didn't have one nearby.