m.a.n rules:
FWIW, i think B&M are the biggest part of wilkos demise…
And Home Bargains/Quality Save.
The trouble is with Wilko’s, is the fact according to their store list, (If you believe it.) they have too many stores in each area. For example, Wakefield is listed with 3. I know where one is, but I’ll be buggered if I know where the other 2 are!!! If the list is to be believed, then it isn’t rocket science to close the under performing ones, thereby saving money.
Rent is another problem. Landlords putting it up, is not sustainable. My wife was manager of the Telford Poundstretcher in 2013, and that has been gone a while probably due to rent, so what they did, was open another nearby on a new development where they would get a tie in for so many years. No doubt when that finishes, they will do the same. It is the 3rd store in 15 years in that area.
Cass and Ponty are classed as Wakefield
From Wilkos Worksop to let’s say Redhouse Doncaster is best part of 27 miles/35mins drive. Many of the Wilkos Transport staff reside as far south as Ollerton and Newark, so anyone who wants to transfer to a different site within the GXO network will have a long commute. Anyone who is considering Pontefract/Wakefield/Castleford for work will also need to contend with the traffic delays on the A1 at Wentbridge as part of their commute
peirre:
From Wilkos Worksop to let’s say Redhouse Doncaster is best part of 27 miles/35mins drive. Many of the Wilkos Transport staff reside as far south as Ollerton and Newark, so anyone who wants to transfer to a different site within the GXO network will have a long commute. Anyone who is considering Pontefract/Wakefield/Castleford for work will also need to contend with the traffic delays on the A1 at Wentbridge as part of their commute
Don’t forget to add in the chaos around the M1/621 split that backs up way before M62/1 split
The problem for many Wilkos stores is positioning, in the High St with no parking instead of sited on retail parks with on site free parking, which is where B&M etc all score.
You don’t want to hump various items handreds of yards you want to stick the bulky stuff striaght in your car within 100 yards of the shop.
Other retailers such as Pound stretcher sensibly moved from the High St to newly opened retail parks in our town.
Whilst i like Wilko itself we haven’t been inside one for probably 12 months and on that visit they didn’t have what we wanted, Woolworths were similar in many ways and vanished.
Amazon is killing them all, aided and abetted by local councils who make driving and parking as difficult as possible yet unable to see their actions are killing the very town centres they say they cherish.
Juddian:
Amazon is killing them all, aided and abetted by local councils who make driving and parking as difficult as possible yet unable to see their actions are killing the very town centres they say they cherish.
I’m no fan of local government but the Tories keep slashing their budget while promising more money for those in need while also saying it will be down to local government to sort out without providing them sufficient funds to do so.
So no surprise councils try to make a quick buck when they can no matter how short sighted
wilko’s have been dieing a slow death for the best part of 10 years…as stated above the shops tend to be on high streets that you can’t park anywhere near. there is no incentive to buy their crap anymore as its cheaper online or b&m & the range etc…
Don’t forget Home Bargains that are strategically placed in retail parks near poor areas with an Aldi or Lidl there.
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Many moons ago when I did a couple of years at Wilkos on agency, the high street locations were a PITA to get into, and due to the lack of local parking it would be inevitable that the store manager would park their car in the loading dock, and when the delivery driver arrived you could always garantee the store manager wasn’t available to move their car out of the way. The most persistent ones would inevitably find themselves with a pallet of compost or a heavy roll cage falling off the tail lift into the bonnet of their car writing it off. My personal experience was in the dim underground bays of Doncaster’s french gate centre, which was a double blindside reverse, where I inadvertently found the managers car in the bay after pushing it hard up against the loading dock and crushing it.
My most hated store was the “Lee circle” store in Leicester, where we did 3 trips down the old A46 from Newark, and you’d find yourself on a Friday afternoon in the middle of town near the pubs and the idiots would regularly throw empty beer bottles smashing them around the truck while I was unloading
Did a year or so there aswell.
Avoided frenchgate,but wasn’t it Shrewsbury where you had to go the wrong way up a one way street?
Then there was the one in Leicester(possibly Narborough Road)where you were effectively tipping in the first lane of a dual carriageway.
In the dark…off a tail lift.
Did get bottled,by kids on a roof…but can’t remember where that was
adam277:
Juddian:
Amazon is killing them all, aided and abetted by local councils who make driving and parking as difficult as possible yet unable to see their actions are killing the very town centres they say they cherish.
I’m no fan of local government but the Tories keep slashing their budget while promising more money for those in need while also saying it will be down to local government to sort out without providing them sufficient funds to do so.
So no surprise councils try to make a quick buck when they can no matter how short sighted[/quote
Where I live in the Valleys it’s Labour who are killing the High Street. I find it easy to go to Cwmbran parking is free. I can get most things I want. I try to avoid Cardiff because of the extortionate parking charges.
Just been announced that Wilko have gone into administration.
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66460059