Large Wilko store in Milton Keynes to become Poundland

The Wilko store in Bletchley has been confirmed as one of 71 shops that has been bought by Poundland and will reopen as a discount shop by the end of the year.

But the fate of the city’s other Wilko, which is in Kingston retail centre, still remains unknown.

Last week rival retailer B&M bought up to 51 Wilko stores in a deal worth up to £13m but it is not yet known whether the Kingston store was one of these.

It was announced at the time that Bletchley’s Wilko would be one of the first to close, with the last day of trading set as yesterday (Tuesday).

Bletchley shoppers took to social media to mourn the loss, predicting the closure of such a flagship store would be the final death knell for the town.

"The staff there are so lovely. It’s such an important part of Bletchley and the town won’t be the same without it,” said one.

Now shoppers have welcomed the news that the Weatherburn Court building will not stand empty for too long. The plan is to re-open it as Poundland by Christmas – although it is not known whether the redundant Wilko staff will be offered jobs.

Pepco Managing director Barry Williams said: “In the coming weeks we will work quickly with landlords so we can open these stores as Poundlands with the new ranges that have been pivotal to our recent development.

Ironically, Bletchley was once home to a Poundland store just metres away in the Brunel Centre, but this closed down some time ago.

The Wilko at Kingston, a pivotal part of the retail centre, does not appear on any of the company’s lists of stores that are closing immediately. But if no rescue deal is struck, all Wilko stores will have to close by early October, the company’s administrators have confirmed.

Edward Williams, joint administrator, said: "Very sadly store closures and redundancies of team members from those stores are now necessary.

"The loss of these stores will be felt not only by the team members who served them with such dedication... but also the communities which they have been a part of."