Two-thirds of redundant Nottinghamshire Wilko staff back in work

Three local premises have also reopened as other businesses, while interest is being shown in another four.

The Worksop-based high street chain collapsed into administration in August 2023 after losses and a fall in customers driven by pandemic.

An estimated 2,000 people later lost their jobs over September and October at the headquarters, distribution centre and Nottinghamshire stores.

Since then, 68 per cent of staff looking to return to the workforce have secured new jobs, according to a Nottinghamshire Council report.

Local jobs fairs were organised to quickly get people back into work, with the authority signposting jobseekers to new opportunities or training.

District and borough councils have also worked with the private sector to attract new businesses into the vacant stores on Nottinghamshire’s high streets.

Of the 10 Nottinghamshire stores that shut, the one in Arnold has re-opened as B&M, the ones in Kimberley and Worksop have both re-opened as Poundland and the one in Hucknall will re-open as The Range this month.

The Carlton store is currently closed to allow Farmfoods to expand into it from their adjoining business.

The stores in Beeston, Mansfield, Newark, Retford, Nottingham and Sutton remain closed but with interest being shown in most of them.

The headquarters and large distribution centre in Worksop was taken over by DHL in December, with the majority of staff re-employed there.

Some of the staff who lost their jobs have also chosen not to look for new work.

More than 60 businesses attended a redundancy event in Worksop, where around 300 people had been put out of work.

The former chair of Wilko told a committee of MPs shortly after that she was ‘devastated’ by the collapse, which cost around 12,000 jobs nationwide.

Lisa Wilkinson, granddaughter of the founder James Wilkinson, said executives had let staff down.

She partly blamed the Liz Truss Government’s mini budget, which caused a jump in the interest rates of a loan Wilko was trying to secure.

B&M and Poundland each bought more than 50 former Wilko stores, while The Range acquired the brand and website and has relaunched three stores so far.

Support for former Wilko workers will be discussed at a council overview committee meeting on March 14.