Wilko’s….

Ive always liked popping into Wilko, they had such a wide range of stock for the home and garden, very reasonable for stationery and toiletries too. I have noticed they haven’t carried as much stock this year but this probably explains why. I’ll be sorry to see them close although we now have a Boyes which sells an even wider range of goods and appears to be doing well.

B&M and Home Bargains have taken a lot of Wilko’s custom around here, massive stores and free parking. On line apps like Cherryz and Temu now seem to be the thing and they sell similar stuff, a lot of it being shipped in from China no doubt. Hope someone can rescue Wilko, you do wonder who will be next, never seems to be many people in WH Smith’s or Boots now.

It will be sad to see Wilkinsons go, one of the few British companies left, but perhaps not much longer. I personally don't like B&M, I won't use them, I'm getting more choosy in my old age. Sainsbury's seems to have gone downhill since they sold part of the company, never mind, Tesco is just as close and better quality fresh food too!

There’s a lovely, large Wilko in our town centre. I’ll miss it so much. I also worry about the large premises remaining unoccupied. One precinct leaves you half expecting to see tumbleweed.

Last time we went to Wilco shelves half empty and few staff

In Harrogate qe don't have a Wilko, or The Range, or B&M. If I'm visiting other towns I Weill often pop in to see what these shops look like, so probably won't get round to missing them!

As others have said, Wilco used to be a destination shop for all the little things that one often cannot find elsewhere. Unfortunately, the business has been run into the ground and the shelves really are half - or more, empty. It is very sad to see.

I have been wondering if they have been a little too cocky though: one used to be able to ring a branch and ask if X was in stock. An assistant would trot off to check and advise yes or no, which obviously if negative, saved a fruitless trip into town. If the required item was in stock, one would trot off, collect it from a 'collection' desk and peruse the store, usually buying other goods.

Several years ago, this service ws stopped and one even had to pay for click and collect, although they did eventually see the error of their ways and have restored free click and collect. Too late now as there is not much to collect...

When I look around my house and garden so much stuff in it has come from Wilko’s. I bought some of those under shelf storage racks from Dunelm recently and they were far more expensive than the ones I buy from Wilko’s. It dawned on me at the time that they were selling more and more of the things Wilko sell eg spray paint and chalk paint. But nowhere near the selection. I know a few years ago they had problems with shop lifters because something I always bought from them was under lock and key. And I don’t think they could compete with the supermarkets on toiletries. A lot of people are probably like me: go there once a year to buy a specific item eg grass seed, and then spend a fortune.

I think the writing on the wall has been there for some time. This year, in particular, they haven't had the items I have bought there every year and yet the discount stores have stocked them. If you order to collect in store, you have to wait for it to come from the warehouse even if it is in store. Crazy.
It's a shame, I used to love filling up a bag of screws, nuts, bolts, hooks, etc, cramming in as many as possible. Nowadays though, the trays are empty and may be gone forever.

Sad isn’t it? When I was teaching we always bought the class little Easter eggs or stationery presents at the end of the other terms.Teachers paid for these themselves and x32 this was a big saving.
Their wild bird food is excellent too.

I had one in town where I used to live and it was next to peacocks but they shut and pound land is taking its place so they would take the sales. When it was Wilkinson it was always stocked and lots of different things but shelf’s are always empty only time I go in is after Christmas for jan sales to stock up for the following Christmas lol

The ones on the retail parks are usually pretty good. Is it the ones in the high streets people think are rubbish?

I quite like it the paint is really good

I’m in NE Scotland and we don’t have a Wilko anywhere near me, I always visit when I visit my parents in Newcastle. Unfortunately, I don’t think they knew quite where to place themselves in the market when B&M, Home Bargains etc have grown, so they’ve become a bit lost in how to compete. I worked in Retail Management for Sainsbury’s in the early 2000s and they had a similar issue with the growth of Asda after the Walmart takeover. They thankfully recruited Justin King for CEO after his stint in the States and he was able to bring concepts that allowed Sainsbury’s to compete in the market. It’s tough for retailers at the moment, hopefully we don’t lose many more but I think part of the problem is so many are closing branches there’s less reason to visit physical shops and it’s having a knock on effect on others.

I will miss Wilco though I only used it for cheap cleaning materials, wine glasses, and stationery.

I kept hoping we would get one when i lived in a smaller town, but we never did.Now i've moved house and its bigger there is one here- but i havent been in more than a handful of times as they are stocking less and less items.The thing is, if theres less to buy folk wont go there, thus reducing the footfall even more, so they've done it to themselves really😐Such a shame.

We had a very busy Wilco in a nearby town but it went downhill during lock down and never recovered. It used to be well stocked and well staffed but both the stock and staff disappeared. Another one opened in another nearby town about 5 years ago which seems to be doing better, at least with the stock, but I guess that will disappear again now. I buy most of my cleaning stuff there, plus storage boxes. Even a lovely black and copper lampshade.

Gwenisgreat- thats because Harrogate have always considered themselves as 'a cut above' the other Northern towns, so too good for discount shops of any kind.😆

On the news they said that Wilko is a family business and unlike others who were on retail parks they were situated on the High St. Another empty building on my high St. then. I will miss them.

I think that trends for shops come and go, especially among-dare I say it-younger shoppers. B&M and Home Bargains may be all the rage now but what happens in a few years time when their lustre begins to fade a little? They sell broadly similar stuff to Wilko, but IMHO a great deal of it is tat, apart from the old faithfuls like cleaning products etc. I much prefer Wilko (as does my daughter) and have been a regular customer there for as long as our branch has been open. I am really going to miss it and although I will make the trip to other similar stores, even though they are out of town, I don’t think they are going to be as good and certainly not as convenient.

Is Wilko going to continue trading online?

Loved Wilko for so many things for the house and garden. As an amateur winemaker, they always supplied bits and pieces for my brews and sometimes sold me fruit concentrated juices for 30-bottle fermentations. Don't think there is another similar store to help me in this way. Sad day!

I`m quite fond of Wilko. Love going in at Christmas, their Christmas section is like awinter wonderland.

I actually screamed at the TV “ oh no not Wilko “ !!

Wilkinsons, as it was, started in Leicester and there was a branch, the second shop, in my village close by. I used to run errands for my Dad when he was doing DIY and ran out of something eg white spirit. I found the shop fascinating.
Later I moved to another city and enjoyed shopping in Wilkos. They sold everything I needed. There isn’t one in my current town but there is a Boyes, and also an independent DIY shop both of which are always busy. Still, I feel bereft at the thought that Wilkos is closing.

I used to like Wilko but I much prefer The Range these days. Better selection and decent prices.

Cabbie21, as a Leicester resident for so long, I didn't know that. This is what I read today, from Leicester History site.

''With Wilko in the news at the moment, did you know the popular national retailer started out here in Leicester?
The first Wilkinson store was opened in 1930 at 151 Charnwood Street by James Kemsey Wilkinson and his fiancée Mary Cooper. It was one of around 100 small businesses along the length of Charnwood Street. "Charny", as locals sometimes called it, ran parallel with Humberstone Road on the eastern side of the city.
The Wilkinson business grew rapidly with a second store opening in Wigston Magna in 1932, and 11 stores by the 1930s. Wilkinson’s business was based on selling useful things for the home at a good price. As one advert in 1938 put it “your money
buys better value.”
In the 1960s the family business opened stores outside Leicester, and in 1973 they launched their first own-brand product, paint, sold under the label "Wilko". Today Wilkinson's has over 400 stores in the UK and in 2022 was still a family-owned business.''