STAFF at Wilko in Trowbridge have cleared the shelves after the store closed following its last full day of trading on Sunday.

The anchor store in the Castle Place shopping centre was one of 124 store closures across the country after administrators were unable to sell the shops to potential buyers.

Staff could be seen on Monday clearing shelves and tidying up the empty store behind closed doors and security shutters.

A notice on the main door of the bargain buy retailer said: “This store is now closed. The management and staff thank you for your custom.

“For further information, please visit www.pwc.co.uk/wilko”

Wiltshire Times: The Trowbridge Wilko store closed on Sunday. Photo: Trevor Porter 70182-1The Trowbridge Wilko store closed on Sunday. Photo: Trevor Porter 70182-1 (Image: Trevor Porter)

Wilko collapsed into administration on August 10 and chartered accountants PriceWaterhouseCoopers were appointed administrators.

The value-led mixed goods retailer was founded in Leicester in 1930 by James Kemsey Wilkinson and grew to have 400 stores across the UK.

After the company collapsed, a flurry of potential buyers expressed an interest but a buyer for the whole business could not be found.

 Administrators announced that all 400 shops would close by October 8 with more than 12,000 Wilko employees made redundant.

Wiltshire Times: Staff clean the empty shelves at the Trowbridge Wilko store after it closed on Sunday. Photo: Trevor Porter 70182-4Staff clean the empty shelves at the Trowbridge Wilko store after it closed on Sunday. Photo: Trevor Porter 70182-4 (Image: Trevor Porter)

Poundland was reported to be buying 100 stores, while B&M agreed to buy 51 stores, but other deals to purchase the rest collapsed.

Plymouth-based Chris Dawson, founder and executive chairman of The Range, reportedly paid £5 million to buy the Wilko brand name and online assets, including its website.

The company initially started to experience issues after the UK left the European Union and the new economic border wreaked havoc on supply chains.

This was further compounded by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and meant the company was unable to reliably stock popular items.

The hardware and furnishings retailer tumbled into administration after it came under pressure from weak consumer spending and debts to suppliers.

The Wilko store in Devizes closed on Tuesday, September 19, and the Wilko store in Chippenham is due to close on Friday (September 29).

Administrators have sold some parts of the business but were unable to find a buyer for most of the company’s 400 stores.

The company had five stores in Wiltshire, including two in Swindon. The store in Greenbridge Retail Park closed on September 19 and the store in The Parade on September 21.

Around 9,100 staff will lose their jobs in October when the remaining 222 Wilko stores still trading close their doors for the last time.