Wilko shops set to close next week named

The 52 Wilko shops set to close next week due to the chain's collapse have been named.

Administrators PwC said 26 shops would close next Tuesday, with a further 28 to shut on Thursday 14 September.

More than 1,000 staff are being made redundant as hopes of a rescue deal for the business hang in the balance.

Edward Williams, joint administrator at PwC, said in the "absence of viable offers" for the whole company, closures and job losses were "necessary".

The following stores will close on 12 September:

The following stores will close on 14 September:

"The loss of these stores will be felt not only by the team members who served them with such dedication, including through the uncertainty of recent weeks, but also the communities which they have been a part of," said Mr Williams.

Administrators announced more than 1,300 redundancies on Tuesday, with job losses at the 52 stores as well as Wilko's distribution and support centres.

Staff at the affected shops were told of the job losses at 10:00 BST.

Rival B&M has agreed a £13m deal for up to 51 of Wilko's buildings, but the fate of the brand and a further 300 stores remains uncertain, with a bigger rescue package put forward by HMV's Doug Putman understood to have been held up due to funding issues.

The retail chain, a stalwart of the High Street for decades, fell into administration in August after struggling with losses. It has around 12,500 staff and 400 shops

Wilko was founded in 1930 and by the 1990s had become one of Britain's fastest-growing retailers. But the chain has faced strong competition in recent years from rivals including B&M, Poundland and Home Bargains.