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Wilkinson’s or ‘Wilkos’ to most Brits is a high street (‘Main St’) retail chain selling all manner of household goods, often very cheaply. Next to Binns (a regional bargain retail chain along the east coast) Wilkos was one of the shops my mother loved most. Always a great place to pick up craft supplies or DIY (‘home improvement’) supplies too - very useful for model making. Kids round here stock up with sweets and soft drinks in Wilkos before heading to the cinema nearby. Sad for all the workers and customers.
This feels very similar to when Woolworth went down the pan in the UK in 2008. That was the start of many closures. Today we’re also in something of a tightening of credit situation. I’m not making any economic predictions here. Just saying what it feels like. Woolies had a similar place for my generation to Wilkos. Woolworth was the main recipient of any money I spent on Airfix sets and Humbrol paints.
Better get down there quick before it’s too late.
Sad. One more hole in the high street.
ReplyDeleteAye. I have a pet notion that high streets need to re-invent themselves as places for 'home offices' that people could rent. Flats above the old shops to live in and workspaces (offices/workshops for creatives/artisans) below. More people are living in smaller flats these days with little space to 'work from home' so if you could rent a little space...live above the shop or a short walk to work! Back to the medieval set-up.
DeleteB&M Bargains next?
ReplyDeleteHave you heard something? Should I be liquidating my portfolio?
DeleteWhen I read the news I was hoping they will survive, as it's one of those shops that is such good value and I buy loads of my gardening seeds and bulbs from there, plus the odd bit of DIY stuff. Woolies was a sad loss and we used to enjoy shopping there as kids, looking through the models kits and toys.
ReplyDeleteYep. They're quite handy for garden bits and pieces too. Fingers crossed.
DeleteI think Wilkos must be an English store...either that or it post dates 1988, when I left that sceptred isle.....I certainly don't recall it from my youth, although Woolworths played a similar role in my wargaming and modelling development! Interestingly, in Australia and New Zealand, Woolworths is a supermarket chain ie food and drink, like Asda .... Not sure how that happened!
ReplyDeletePost 1988 as far as Scotland goes Keith. In fact post 2009 - which would tie in with the 2008 crash because they have a practice of buying redundant stores.
DeleteJust checked Wiki and it started in Leicester in 1930 and is still privately owned by the same family. Peter Swann, the husband of one of the major shareholders splurged a lot of the money on acquiring, then overspending at Scunthorpe Utd, before selling it last season leaving it in debt, 2 or 3 divisions lower and without the freehold on the ground. Before that he owned Gainsborough Trinity, so I suppose Scunny was a step up in Lincs football terms.
Re: Woolies in ANZ, different horses for different courses I guess. They used to dabble in food here before the end but I guess in ANZ they went fully in and that maybe helped them survive.
Come here for wargaming and end up with retail waffle!
Mmmm. Nothing wrong with waffles!
DeleteThere is also a Woolworths in South Africa which is almost identical to Marks and Spencer’s. At one stage, they stocked St Michaels (remember that). It’s a separate company but I think they had some sort of technical support agreement at one stage.
ReplyDeleteI remember St Michael’s! My socks, underpants and vests had their label on them 😆. That’s probably TMI!
DeleteChris
Useful shop with interesting kit for wargaming, let's hope it hangs on, how's the season started for you?
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Fingers crossed Iain.
DeleteGood recruitment in the closed season. But then with the teams that came up and came down, and those that underperformed (I’m looking at you Bradford!) it won’t be any easier. First game could’ve/should’ve won, but for misfiring forwards. But overall mood is cautiously optimistic.
Chris
Wilkos and hot on their heels, Clintons! My own local town has largely switched to a night economy of bars and restaurants and has lost all balance of facility and the question of who will want to move into these mid sized premises that the likes of Wilkos hold seems without answer.
ReplyDeleteBut it is peoples buying habits that have brought the town to its knees, even shop staff do most buying on the internet, though the irony of that seems somewhat lost on them.
Local councils and landlords should have been working together 10 years or more ago to aggressively deal with the internet threat.
I quit like the idea of being able to rent out a wargames room ….. I mean some work from home office space :-).
Too true Norm. And bars and restaurants are not exactly thriving at the moment. What’s going to replace them when people can’t afford to go out?
DeleteI’ve depressed myself now!
Chris