Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has penned a letter to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade raising concerns about the potential closure of hundreds of Wilko stores.
Wilko in Denton, which sits in Crownpoint North Shopping Park, is at risk of closure after the high-street retail chain entered into administration. Over 12,500 jobs are at risk across the country, with redundancies expected to begin in the coming weeks.
Following this news, Gwynne has written to the Secretary of State Kemi Badenoch to express his ‘deep concern’ over the impact of the potential store closure, and to urge the Government to do more to support workers at risk of losing their livelihoods.
Gwynne also criticised the Government for making ‘struggling high streets and shuttered shops’ the norm and pushed them to match the ambition of Labour’s plan to support high street firms.
Commenting on the letter, Gwynne said:
“The news of the imminent closure of 400 Wilko stores is awful news for the 12,500 employees who are currently at risk of redundancy and their families who have been plunged into real economic uncertainty.
I know how important Wilko in Denton is to many livelihoods, which is why I’m calling on the Secretary of State to do everything possible to ensure that this process is fair for workers and that everything is done to support employees during this cost-of-living crisis”.
