SHOPPERS have shared their upset as the future of the Stroud Wilko store is uncertain. 

WILKO - one of Stroud's largest town centres stores - is at risk of closure after the retail giant fell into administration last week.

The discount homewares retailer fell into administration on Thursday, putting the future of its 400 stores - including the branch at the Five Valleys Shopping Centre - in jeopardy.

Unless a new buyer is found, all stores could close with the loss of 12,500 jobs across the country.

The Stroud store is open as usual and shelves appear to be well stocked.

Wilko says there are no immediate redundancies planned but there is a bleaker outlook ahead if a long-term solution isn't found.

Over the last six months, the company has tried to stabilise the business, which has mounting debts, but failed to secure a rescue deal.

Shoppers say it would a great loss to the town if the branch closed. 

Dawn Spring, from Horsley, said: “Wilko is really important to us.

“This shop and Home Bargains are the only ones I really go to. 

“So many shops have closed recently in the town, including M&Co and Peacocks. 

“I now have to go to Yate to do the shopping. I go to Wilko every week, it has such great variety. 

“It has a lot of gardening stuff too, all the vegetables we grow come from there. 

“I am also worried about the knock-on effect this potential closure might have, especially if other shops become more expensive as a result.”

Carina Bearne said: “The Stroud Wilko is such a lovely shop to walk around and the staff are lovely. I am a regular visitor, it would be such a shame if it closed” 

Christine Beadle said: “It would be such a loss to our town. 
“Wilko sells an awful lot of items, it has great prices and has friendly, helpful staff.”

In an open letter issued on Thursday morning, Wilko CEO Mark Jackson said: "Over the past six months Wilko has been very open that we’ve been considering options to accelerate a turnaround plan given that we needed to make significant changes to the way we operate to restore confidence and stabilise our business. 

"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

"Our loyal team members past and present have always been our biggest asset, our average length of service across our stores is 10 years and, in many places generations of team members have been on hand with advice or even just a friendly smile. 

"Since January and with the help of retail advisers and experts, we’ve been facing into problems and have seen real progress against many areas of our plan.

"While we can confirm we had a significant level of interest, including indicative offers that we believe would meet all our financial criteria to recapitalise the business, without the surety of being able to complete the deal within the necessary time frame and given the cash position, we’ve been left with no choice but to take this unfortunate action."

The brand was founded by JK Wilkinson in 1930 and started with a single hardware shop in Leicester.

Administrators from PwC have been hired to take over the administration process.