Wilko decision is massive blow to Sutton Coldfield, says councillor
Plans by retailer Wilko to close its Sutton Coldfield store is another massive blow for the town centre, a councillor has said.
Wilko is set to close 15 stores this year – including its Sutton branch in the Red Rose Centre, the company has announced.
Bosses said the affected stores will close as leases end and favourable terms cannot be agreed, adding it will not affect its new openings or relocation programme.
The Sutton store, in the Red Rose Centre, will reportedly close in June, with the potential loss of more than 20 jobs.
The GMB union said it was “another nail in the high street’s coffin”, warning that hundreds of jobs could be lost.
And Sutton Trinity councillor David Pears has described it as a huge disappointment.
“It’s a great shame. It’s a lynchpin for the Red Rose Centre and it meets the demand of a lot of people, especially being close the bus stops as well.
"Without them being there, I hope another tenant can soon be found in order to bring people into the centre, other than going to the library."
Wilko chief executive Jerome Saint-Marc, Wilko’s chief executive had said: “Our history is steeped in serving our customers and communities going back to 1930 but there’s no denying the way people shop with us and where they want to shop with us is changing.
“As a business we’re evolving and this includes working with landlords for more favourable terms, as well as looking at locations and store formats. We’ll continue to pull together to make our business better to secure the future of over 16,000 team members.
“We’ll be doing everything we can to support our affected team members who will be offered any available positions in nearby stores. We apologise to thosecommunities where stores are closing but will continue to offer them everything they need in nearby stores or via wilko.com.”
Roger Jenkins, GMB national officer, said: “These closures are devastating for Wilko workers and the communities who use them.
“It’s yet another nail in the High Street’s coffin and GMB calls on councils and landlords to review commercial leases and offer lower rents.
“Empty high streets and shopping centres are in no one’s interest and but with 400 shops a week closing, this is inevitable, unless the costs of premises can be reduced. GMB will now meet with Wilko members to discuss our next steps.”
As well as Sutton, other planned closures include Shipley, Bournemouth and Stockton next month, Scunthorpe in March, Grantham and Redditch in May, Rotherham, Skegness and Sutton Coldfield in June, Llanelli in August, Merthyr Tydfil in September and Cleethorpes in October.
Other affected stores include one at The Fort Shopping Park, Birmingham, which is set to close on February 26 and Redditch on May 21.
Each store will have a 30-day consultation period, while permanent recruitment in the vicinity of each site will freeze.
