Hammer blow for Carmarthenshire as Wilko set to close majority of stores

Carmarthenshire will receive a hammer blow to its retail industry as Wilko stores prepare to close within weeks after talks to rescue the group collapsed.

Unions have been informed that the majority of Wilkos 400 shops will see the shutters coming down for good.

The administrator PwC said that there was “no prospect that the majority of the business will be saved”. The administrators have held extensive discussions with interested parties in the business but there was not enough focus of that interest on saving or buying the whole group.

The signs are that thousands of jobs will be lost with hundreds of jobs being lost in Carmarthenshire if those stores are not bought individually or as part of a larger package. They will remain open for the immediate future to trade with staff being paid wages.

The administrators have said that they will be working with the government, and organisations such as the unions, the Job Centre and local employers to increase the potential for a return to work for those affected by redundancies.