Watford shoppers react to news that Wilko could close

It was announced on August 10 that Wilko had fallen into administration after it failed to secure a rescue deal.

The chain, which runs more than 400 stores across the UK, told its 12,000 staff that it has hired administrators from PwC to oversee the process.

• Major high street store on brink of closure as rescue deal fails
• What went wrong at Wilko and what happens next?

Wilko, High Street, Watford (Image: Newsquest)

We headed into Watford’s town centre today (August 11) to find out how Wilko customers feel about the potential loss of the chain.

Sultana Ali, 51, from Watford, said: “It is sad. We always come here to buy things for the garden and household items.

Sultana Ali (Image: Newsquest)

“The home stuff is really good and reasonably priced. It is such a good shop; we are really going to miss it.”

The value of the products is something that Iris Edwards from Croxley Green agreed with.

She said: “Everything is so cheap in there. It is such as shame it could close.”

Iris Edwards (Image: Newsquest)

The variety of items on offer has appealed to the Hollingsworth family from Islington, London, who came to Watford to play at Top Golf for the day.

Rachel Hollingsworth (left) and her husband. (Image: Newsquest)

Rachel Hollingsworth said: “My son got all his things from Wilko for university.

“It’s really sad that it could close. It’s one of the reasons why we went in the store today to get final bits and pieces. It’s like another Woolworths.”

Another shopper, Lesley Boatman, from Harrow, said she goes into Wilko for cleaning, toiletries and pet products, every other week.

She said: “I do not think there is anything comparable to Wilko.”

Lesley Boatman (Image: Newsquest)

Fabiola De Oliveira, 49, who lives in Watford feared another empty unit in the High Street.

She said: “If it closes it could be very bad. We are already losing so many shops in the town.

“At Wilko you get good products and fair prices.”

Fabiola De Oliveira (Image: Newsquest)

The shop window had a small poster in it with a message from the company’s chief executive officer, Mark Jackson.

It said: “We left no stone unturned when it came to preserving this incredible business but must concede that with regret, we’ve no choice but to take the difficult decision to enter into administration.”