The administrators behind the sale of Wilko, PWC, have confirmed the number of employees who will lose their jobs.

Yesterday it was confirmed that the retailer B&M had agreed on a deal to save 51 Wilko stores. Unfortunately, it was also later confirmed that 52 stores would close, resulting in redundancies of 1,016 staff based at these sites, and a further 299 redundancies at the two distribution centres in Worksop and Newport. 

When announcing the news, PWC said: "The final day of trading for these stores will be Tuesday 12 September, and Thursday 14 September. The locations of the stores concerned will be published tomorrow (Wednesday 6th September) once those team members who are affected have been informed. 

"The administrators' dedicated employee team will continue to help provide support, including assisting in the statutory redundancy claims process and ensuring the dedicated employee helpline remains in place to address any employee queries. Company support systems with access to further advice and resources remain active."

PWC also said they would continue to work closely with unions. However, the GMB Union, which represents thousands of Wilko employees, has yet to make a statement.

Edward Williams, joint administrator, said:

"In the absence of viable offers for the whole business, very sadly store closures and redundancies of team members from those stores are now necessary, in addition to the already announced redundancies at the support centre and distribution centres.

"We know this has been a deeply unsettling time for everyone concerned and would like to express our gratitude to all wilko team members for the dedication and support they have continued to give the business in the most trying of circumstances."

Nub News will update you on the news on the confirmation of the Falmouth store.