Wilko customers compare store to Woolworths and raise concerns for high street

Customers at Wilko stores which are set to close next week spoke of their sadness and concern about the lack of shops left on high streets.

One shopper at the Acton store in west London described the closure of 52 stores as “another nail in the coffin for the high street”.

The store was also compared with Woolworths which entered administration in 2008.

And concerns were raised about the lack of shops left in North Shields town centre, North Tyneside, by customers at a Wilko store and a worker at a stall nearby.

Michael Penning, 74, a business consultant from Acton who was shopping for paint brushes at the west London branch of Wilko, said: “I think it’s a shame, a big big shame, it’s another nail in the coffin for the high street.

“It kind of filled a gap Woolworths left, it doesn’t have everything, but it filled a gap. I’m not sure what’s going to fill the void.

“It’s just such a good place to shop for so many different things.

“They’re competitive in price and the quality is pretty good.

“It’s going to be another empty unit on the high street.

“They’ve got their own reasons why their business model is not working, but it must be like for everyone in retail – the pressures from rents, rates and energy.”

Mr Penning added that he believes people are going to be forced to shop online, which he described as “a shame”.

He said: “Big companies are pushing people towards self-scanning, it’s a gentle process to put people towards self checkout, that’s how it’s all going to go because they want to save on staff.

“It’s a shame because certain members of the population, elderly people possibly, go to their local shop and it’s a social thing for them and we’re moving that out of the way for artificial intelligence essentially.

“People are going to be forced to shop online, but it’s not the same experience.

“Going out shopping is a kind of leisurely pursuit.”

Donovan Julies, 50, a solicitor from Acton, said he “feels for the workers at the store”.

He said: “I spoke to one of the ladies last week and she said they didn’t know what was happening in terms of their jobs.

“For the local community the shop has been a lovely place, lots of people come here. It’s very sad.

“Some of the women who work here are breadwinners and it will impact their family’s finances.

“What is going to come into the space? Wilko hasn’t been here a long time. It reminds me of Woolworths.”

Former mathematician David Wright, 80, from Gunnersbury, west London, discovered Wilko within the last couple of months and said he comes to buy stationery.

He said: “One of the things I like about places like this, there’s all kinds of things you can get.”

Asked for his reaction to the news the Acton store is due to close, he said: “I was sorry. I’ve only just found the place and only just heard it’s going.

“How a place like this would fail I don’t know. It’s got great stuff, I don’t know what’s wrong with it.”

Laura Everett, 31, an implementation manager from Acton, said: “I do come here quite often, there isn’t anything that’s really the same.

“Some of the things I get from here, such as white vinegar, I don’t know anywhere else I can get it from.

“I will miss it really.”

Meanwhile, a steady stream of shoppers looking for closing down bargains visited the Wilko store in North Shields town centre, North Tyneside, on Wednesday, which is scheduled to close next week.

Retired dinner lady Susan Blacklock, 73, said: “It’s awful, this is a good shop and I come here all the time.

“This is one of the biggest shops in the town centre.

“I come here for things like curtain rails and wallpaper – there’s no other wallpaper shop around here.

“They have built a brand new bus station to come here, but what’s there to come for? Nothing.

“I feel sorry for all the lasses working in there, you get used to seeing them and it’s nice to see them, I just hope they have somewhere to go when they leave.”

Jean Reynolds, a 68-year-old retired nursing carer, said: “I used to get my bedding and quilts there as prices were reasonable.

“I would take the grandchildren to the cafe.

“I will be sad when it closes.”

Usman Khan, 25, works as a phone repair technician from a stall outside Wilko in the shopping centre.

He feared the large shop’s closure would badly affect footfall.

“This will be a big loss,” he said.

“As you can see, everyone is going in Wilkos.

“They have already closed the bank in here and even the vape shop has gone.”

Mr Khan blamed online retail for damaging high street chains.