‘End of an era’ as high street discount store shuts up shop for good in Rugby

Saddened shoppers in Rugby say losing Wilko is ‘like losing an old friend’ as shelves are stripped bare days ahead of mass closures.

People have expressed their sorrow at the announcement of the closure of the store in Rugby Central shopping centre.

Redundancies now look likely for thousands of staff who work at the chain.

Marie Davis, who shopped at the Rugby branch, said: “I feel so sorry for all the employees of Wilko's being put on this emotional rollercoaster the past few weeks, but now it seems imminent all stores are to close.

"With the cost of living crisis it’s really going to make their lives quite difficult.”

She said it will leave a big hole in the high street.

Marie, who runs her own business in Kilsby, said: “Many main high street names are forcing people to shop online and that to some extent is what's killing off these shops; increasing costs and lower footfall.

“Wilko's was the new Woolies and I’m sure it will be missed.”

Shopper Brian Goodfellow said he was sad to see the store close.

He said: “Poor old Wilko.

"It’s the end of an era and feels like the loss of an old friend.”

Kieren Brown, who lives in Rugby, said: “I think it's really unfortunate that another high street brand has gone to the wall. A known, trusted company will go and people will lose their jobs.

"We need to come up with a real, viable solution to this issue before we have rows upon rows of just empty units in the town centre. This issue is bigger than one store, but on a human level this is pretty gutting for the people who have given everything to make this company work.”

Emily Bean said: “All the people who are moaning about the store closing are people who used it once in a blue moon. The company wouldn't be going into administration if people actually used it.”

The news comes after a rescue deal involving the owner of HMV Doug Putman reportedly collapsed over the rising costs associated with taking on Wilko's infrastructure.

All stores will close by October.

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