'We'll miss if it goes': Shoppers' fear for future of Wilko after shock announcement

Shoppers in one Greater Manchester town say they fear for the future of their local Wilko and claim it would be a 'big miss' if it were to disappear from the high street.

The household and garden retailer, which has been in business for over nine decades, today announced it had filed a 'notice of intention' to appoint administrators after failing to find enough investment.

It means the jobs of 12,000 staff employed across the chain, which has 400 stores, will be put at risk. The firm's CEO Mark Jackson said it was facing 'mounting cash pressures' and had no other choice but to make the move.

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Today the Manchester Evening News spoke to shoppers outside the branch of Wilko at the Peel shopping centre near Stockport town centre.

And those visiting it said they were both shocked at the development. Bosses insist they hope to turn around the business and return it to profitability but there was and sadness at even the notion of the staple of the British high street disappearing forever.

Marc Campbell, 52, said: "I'm quite suprised. I wouldn't say I'm a regular shopper but I was in there today, and I think they are pretty decent.

"You have the one in the Arndale which is the only thing like it in town really and I like going in there. They are probably being affected by these pound stores that are attracting those with not much to spend.

"I was in there today and the shelves were all full. Sometimes when shops are struggling you see the stock dwindling and less staff but it didn't feel like that at all. So I am surprised. This is just what is happening with retail though at the moment though isn't it. They are dropping like flies."

Susan