Poundland closing nine former Wilko stores months after opening - full list of new closures
Poundland opened 64 former Wilko sites in the final quarter of last year
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Poundland is closing nine former Wilko stores which it opened under the Poundland brand just months ago.
It's understood employees working at the affected locations have been offered roles in nearby stores.
The retailer's owner Pepco agreed to buy up to 71 Wilko stores in September, subsequently converting 64 former Wilko shops by mid-December.
A spokesperson for Poundland said: "We moved really quickly to open a significant number of former Wilko stores in the final calendar quarter of 2023 so we could offer roles quickly.
"While it’s disappointing we haven’t been able to make a small number of them work in the long-term, all the people employed at those stores have been offered roles at nearby locations."
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Poundland sites in the following areas are closing:
- Alfreton
- Bishop’s Stortford
- Ealing
- Eccles
- Ellesmere Port
- Hillsborough
- Jarrow
- Nelson
- Stafford
Earlier this year, Poundland opened new stores in Perry Barr, Leith, Biggleswade, Bridgwater and Norwich.
Another new Poundland will open in Wandsworth, London this weekend.
A "destination" Poundland site opened in Queens Retail Park in Stafford, so customers won't need to travel too far after the town centre Poundland store shuts.
According to The Mirror, the Nelson, Lancashire site has closed due to council plans to knock down and redevelop the shopping centre.
All 400 Wilko stores closed last year after administrators for the retailer were unable to find a buyer for the whole of the business.
However, The Range owner CDS Superstores agreed to buy the Wilko brand, website and intellectual property.
The retailer later announced Wilko would return to the high street.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Another new Poundland will open in Wandsworth, London this weekend
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Five Wilko stores have since reopened, ahead of a further roll-out.
Wilko now operates stores in St Albans, Rotherham Parkgate, Poole, Luton and Exeter.
CEO of CDS Superstores, trading as wilko and The Range, Alex Simpkin said the retailer was "glad to be bringing employment opportunities to the area, and for helping local families and communities to have easy access to all the everyday home and garden items they need once again".