Shelves almost empty in Wolverhampton as 24 more Wilko branches close doors

Shoppers have been welcomed to empty aisles and dismantled shelves as Wilko prepares to shut 24 more stores in the second round of closures.

Shelves at Wilko's Wolverhampton branch have been left bare as they also prepare for closure

Shoppers in Wolverhampton have spoken about their sorrow of seeing the high-street retailer sitting empty.

The high street, which entered into administration last month, started its first round of closures on Tuesday, leading many people to flock to their local store to see if they could pick up a bargain.

The Wolverhampton store escaped the previous two rounds of closures

Wolverhampton's Wilko branch has been safe from the previous two rounds of closures, but administration sale signs and empty shelves spell a grim near future for the Mander Centre store.

James Wilson, from Wolverhampton, said: "It's quite sad. This is one of the bigger ones and it's so central, to see it like it is it's horrible really.

"I don't really know what I expected really, they have cut the store in half, you can't really go to the one end now and everything is empty, it's just a bit depressing isn't it."

Customer flocked to the Wolverhampton Wilko branch to snag the administration bargains, leaving most of the shelves empty

Wilko administrators, PwC, announced earlier this month that all of the 400 shops will close by early October, also announcing on Thursday that rival discount chain, The Range, had purchased Wilko brand, website and intellectual property.

Margaret Boyd, 90, from Wolverhampton, said: "This has always been my main Wilko store, and my husband would come pretty much every day.

"It's really sad what is happening. We saw the staff like family really. It's a real shame."

Half of the Wolverhampton store has been blocked off to customers, being used to store the empty shelving units

Earlier this week Brownhills and Stafford, two other West Midlands branches closed their doors for good, wishing the customers well and thanking them for their years of loyalty.

Brownhills team supervisor, Dan Beck, said: "All I can say really is that a store like this is more than just a company. It's the people inside that make this store the way it is, the staff working here and the customers.

Last trading day at the Wilko branch on Brownhills High Street

"Without the community, this place would have been nothing from the get-go. I'm sure that it's the same situation in other places, but this is a local store, the faces we see every day are just as much a part of our family here as the staff are."

Staff at the store remained on location until Thursday to clear away the shelving and racking.

Mr Beck continued: "It's a real shame for the high street, a lot of the customers ask what the store will turn into next, but obviously we can't answer that.

"It's been an absolute pleasure to work with all the staff here."

Brownhills branch was one of those to close earlier this week, with staff saying a teary goodbye to regular shoppers

Among the stores to close on Thursday were Walsall and the Uttoxeter branch, which have already started their clearing process.