HUNDREDS of Wilko stores are at risk of closing as the retailer is on the brink of collapsing.
The discount chain has filed for a notice of intent to appoint administrators.
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Hundreds of Wilko stores are at risk of closing as the retailer is on the brink of collapsing Credit: Getty A notice of intention essentially means Wilko has a 10-day window to secure a deal while it's still protected from action by other creditors.
Wilko has 400 shops across the whole of the UK and employs around 12,000 people in total.
Bosses were said to be exploring the sale of a controlling stake in the company just last month.
The retailer is being advised by PwC, and property agents CBRE have been brought on board to negotiate with landlords.
If Wilko does file for administration, all control of the business is passed to an appointed administrator.
So far, chain bosses haven't revealed what will happen to all 400 shops and staff.
All sites will continue to operate as normal for now, and even if administrators are brought in, the stores could still keep going if the company is bought by someone else.
The company announced plans to close over a dozen of its shops in January last year.
Then in February 2023, it revealed it planned to cut over 400 jobs , including both store and head office roles.
Most recently in May, the discount chain was looking at restructuring options and approached financial advisors.
It was said to be considering entering a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) which is a form of insolvency.
Wilko, like many other high street retailers , is said to have seen a big drop in footfall and has "stopped performing to its full potential".
Chains have been feeling the pinch since the pandemic while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to soaring inflation .
High energy costs and a shift to online shopping after the pandemic are also taking a toll and many brick and mortar shops have struggled to keep the lights on.
Numerous high street brands have collapsed into administration in the last 12 months.
Paperchase collapsed into administration at the end of January this year and all 106 stores have since closed for good.
Scottish clothing brand M&Co and wellies retailer Joules are among the familiar brands which went bust in 2022.
Shops aren't the only ones affected, major burger chain Byron Burger also fell into administration and closed nine restaurants immediately.
Here is the full list of towns and cities with Wilko shops in the UK:
Aberdare Abergavenny Accrington Acocks Green Acton Aldershot Alfreton Alnwick Altrincham Ammanford Andover Arnold Ashford Ashington Ashton-Under-Lyne Aylesbury Ayr Banbury Barking Barnsley (3 stores) Barnstaple Barrow In Furness Barry Basildon Basingstoke Bedford (2) Bedminster Belper Beverley Bexleyheath Bicester Biggleswade Birkenhead Birmingham (3) Bishop Auckland Bishops Stortford Blackburn Blackpool Blackwood Bletchley Blyth Bognor Regis Bolton (2) Bordon Boston Bournemouth (2) Bradford Brentwood Bridgend Bridgwater Brigg Brighouse Bristol (3) Bromley Brownhills Burgess Hill Burnley Burton Upon Trent Bury Bury St Edmunds Camberley Cambridge Canterbury Cardiff (3) Carlisle Carmarthen Castle Douglas Chatham Chelmsford Cheltenham Chepstow Chester Chester Le Street Chesterfield Chippenham Clacton On Sea Cleethorpes Cleveleys Clowne Clydebank Coalville Cockermouth Colchester Corby Coventry (2) Cowley Cramlington Crawley Crewe Cwmbran Dagenham Darlington Dartford Denton Derby (3) Dereham Devizes Dewsbury Didcot Doncaster (2) Driffield Droitwich Dudley Dunstable Durham East Ham Eastbourne (2) Eccles Edinburgh Ellesmere Port Ely Epsom Exeter Falkirk Falmouth Fareham Farnborough Ferndown Folkestone Gainsborough Gateshead (2) Gillingham Gloucester Gravesend Grays (2) Great Malvern Great Yarmouth (2) Greenock Greenwich Grimsby (2) Halesowen Halifax Hamilton Hanley Harlow Harrow Hartlepool Havant Haverfordwest Hayes Hemel Hempstead Hereford High Wycombe Hinckley Hitchin Holyhead Horsham Hounslow Hucknall Huddersfield Hull (2) Huntingdon Huyton Ilford Ilkeston Ipswich Irvine Jarrow Kenilworth Kent (2) Kettering Kidderminster Kings Lynn Kingston Upon Thames Kingston Upon Hull Kingswood Knowle Lancaster Leamington Spa Leeds (7) Leek Leicester (5) Leigh Leighton Buzzard Letchworth Lewisham Lichfield Lincoln Liverpool (3) Livingston Llandudno Llanelli London (9) Long Eaton Loughborough Louth Lowestoft Luton Maidenhead Maidstone Manchester (4) Mansfield Market Drayton Market Harborough Matlock Melton Mowbray Merthyr Tydfil Middlesbrough Middlesex Mildenhall Milton Keynes Morriston Motherwell Neath Nelson Newark Newbury Newcastle Newcastle Under Lyme Newcastle Upon Tyne (3) Newport Newton Abbot Newton Aycliffe Newton-Le-Willows North Shields Northallerton Northampton (3) Northfield Norwich Nottingham (9) Nuneaton Oakham Orpington Oswestry Pembroke Dock Penge Perry Barr Peterborough (2) Peterlee Plymouth Pontefract Pontypool Poole Port Talbot Porthmadog Portsmouth Preston (2) Pwllheli Rainham Ramsgate Reading Redcar Redditch Redhill Redruth Retford Rhyl Ripley Romford Rotherham Rowley Regis Royal Kingston Upon Thames Rugby Rugeley Runcorn Rushden Sale Salford Scarborough Scunthorpe Seaham Selby Sheffield (6) Shipley Shirley Shrewsbury Sittingbourne Skegness Skelmersdale Slough Solihull South Shields Southampton Southend On Sea Southport Spalding St Albans St Austell St Helens Stafford Stamford Stevenage Stockport Stockton On Tees Stoke-On-Trent Stourbridge Stratford Strood Stroud Sunderland Sutton Sutton-In-Ashfield Swanley Swansea Swindon (2) Tamworth (2) Taunton Telford (2) Thetford Tipton Torquay Trowbridge Truro Uttoxeter Uxbridge Wakefield (2) Wallasey Walsall (2) Walthamstow Walton On Thames Warrington Washington Waterlooville Watford Wellingborough Wembley West Drayton West Ealing Weston-Super-Mare Weymouth Whitehaven Widnes Wigan Wimbledon Winsford Woking Wolverhampton Wood Green Woolwich Worcester Workington Worksop (2) Worthing Wrexham Wythenshawe Yeovil York
Meanwhile, three major high street retailers are set to close stores this weekend - see if your area is affected.
Plus, The Sun has put together a handy guide to all the shops closing down in August.
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