Wilko unions demand inquiry into stricken chain

MPs are under pressure to question Wilko bosses following the collapse of the retail chain.

The company went bankrupt in early August, leading to the loss of around 12,500 jobs and the closure of its 398 stores.

As The Mail on Sunday revealed, £77m in dividends were paid out to the retailer’s owners and shareholders in the decade before the collapse.

Trade unions are now demanding a parliamentary inquiry into the company’s demise.

The GMB has written to the House of Commons business and trade committee to call for an emergency session to hold Wilko bosses to account.

The union wants MPs to question Lisa Wilkinson, the granddaughter of Wilko’s founder who helped run the discount retail empire for 20 years.

In a letter to committee chairman Liam Byrne MP, GMB national officer Nadine Houghton said: ‘From ignoring clear warnings about the future to handing out millions in payouts to owners and shareholders, Wilko’s management has failed at every turn .

‘The collapse is not only a tragedy for the loyal workforce but will also contribute to the decline of high streets across the country.

“Wilko employees deserve answers from the company that destroyed their livelihoods.

‘The new chairman of the select committee should call an urgent emergency hearing on Wilko to demand those answers.’

Administrators have agreed to sell 122 former Wilko locations to B&M and Poundland, with the stores reopening under the new owner’s name. The Wilko brand was sold to The Range, which is run by tycoon Chris Dawson, dubbed the ‘Del Boy billionaire’.

The Range said yesterday it will open five Wilko stores before Christmas, including in Plymouth, Exeter and Luton.

A spokesman for the business committee said: ‘The chairman has made it very clear that he is determined that the committee continues its work in uncovering corporate malfeasance.’

Wilko has remained in the family since it was founded in Leicester by James Kemsey Wilkinson in 1930.