Administrators say more than 1,300 staff will be made redundant as hopes of a wider rescue deal fade.
Image source, Getty ImagesA further 1,300 staff at the collapsed retailer Wilko are to lose their jobs.
Administrators PwC, which is overseeing the chain’s sale, said 52 stores would close due to an “absence of viable offers for the whole business”.
Wilko fell into administration in August and hopes for a full rescue of the business are hanging in the balance.
Earlier, rival retailer B&M said it would buy up to 51 of Wilko’s 400 shops.
However, the fate of a further 300 stores remains uncertain, with a deal tabled by HMV’s owner, Doug Putman, understood to have stalled due to funding issues.
Almost 12,500 people work for Wilko, meaning that around one in 12 jobs will go in the latest round of cuts.
The GMB union said some 1,016 redundancies would be made at 52 shops across the country, with affected staff to be informed at 10:00 BST on Wednesday.
It added that 24 of Wilko’s stores will close next Tuesday, with a further 28 to shut by Thursday next week.
Andy Prendergast, national secretary at GMB, said: “Every single redundancy is a person who will wake up facing an uncertain future. “We are still doing everything we can secure a deal that would protect the majority of jobs and stores. But this will be of little comfort for those not knowing how they’ll pay their bills.”