Name: 'Lots of emotions' as Leicester Wilko shuts for the final time
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'Lots of emotions' as Leicester Wilko shuts for the final time

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NewsThe Lee Circle store in Leicester city centre has closed its doors for the last timeleicestermercuryWilko has closed its doors in Leicester for the final time after almost 100 years in the city. The business opened as Wilkinson Cash Stores on Charnwood Street in 1930, and a store remained in the city for its 93 year history until it closed its doors one final time on Thursday, October 5. Only a handful of stores remain open as the business disappears from the high street, with only the brand, website, and intellectual property being kept alive by The Range, who paid £5 million for them. The final stores, including the Loughborough branch, will close their doors on Sunday, October 8, bringing the history of one of the UK's most well-known and popular stores to an end. The Lee Circle store looked a shadow of its former self on the day, being condensed down to a handful of items including cake tins, pet food, Halloween decorations, and birdfeeders - all of which were displayed at the front of the store. It was oddly reminiscent to the end of Woolworths - another high street icon taken down by financial difficulties back in 2009 - with Wilko swooping in and taking its place after Woolies disappeared from the UK's towns and cities. READ MORE: Finalists in 2023 Leicestershire Promotions Tourism and Hospitality Awards revealed For Lee Circle store manager Craig Ewen and his team, there were "lots of emotions" as the Wilko store experienced its last ever day of sales. Craig told LeicestershireLive: "There's lots of emotions here today, lots of sadness. "But, to their credit, the team have been smiley and professional right to the end. We have been through so much in the last few months and we have got each other through it and worked together. "I have managed most of Leicestershire's shops and they are a credit to Wilko and a perfect representation of what made the business so popular and loved. "My team has people who have worked here for decades as well as those who have only worked here for a few years. I thought I was going to retire here but that's clearly not going to be the case. "We'll have some tears at the end, I'm sure." But it's not just the staff getting each other through it, with Craig paying tribute to local organisations and shops doing their best to help the employees out going forward. He said: "The local JobCentre has been such a big help, they've been supporting our employees and helping them with their concerns and worries going forward - some people, myself included, haven't put together a CV in years. "Local store managers have been great too, we've had them coming in and telling staff what jobs are available and that they are hiring. One of our younger staff members has even been providing example CVs to the older staff who are looking for work and haven't needed one in a long time." With laughter and hubbub coming from another part of the store, Craig added: "Even on the last day, the team are bringing the fun to the job. I couldn't have asked for a better team." Assistant manager George Watts added: "It's a mix of emotions today, sadness and also pride. It's like a family here and the family is being broken up." Long-time customers also come out to see the store for one last time, with Claudette Sousa and Linda Magalhaes speaking to LeicestershireLive outside of Wilko. Linda said: "It's very sad to see them closing. I came here 36 years ago and Wilko has been here the entire time, it's clear how important the store is to the city." Claudette added: "I feel for the staff, a lot of them have worked here for years and are now finding themselves out of work. It's very sad and it must be difficult to say goodbye to the place they've worked at for so long." Linda added: "It's a very sad day. I wish the team all the best in the future." Another customer said: "It's a great shop, I have always shopped here as you knew they would always have good stuff on the shelves, and for a good price too. "They just got too much competition coming through in recent years - Poundland and The Range and all them kinds of stores - you could tell they started to take some of the customers. "It's very sad to see it go, it very much filled the gap after Woolies closed. It very much reminded me of when Woolworths was on its last days." But even with Wilko closing its doors, its impact on Leicester will not be forgotten. 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NewsThe Lee Circle store in Leicester city centre has closed its doors for the last timeleicestermercuryWilko has closed its doors in Leicester for the final time after almost 100 years in the city. The business opened as Wilkinson Cash Stores on Charnwood Street in 1930, and a store remained in the city for its 93 year history until it closed its doors one final time on Thursday, October 5. Only a handful of stores remain open as the business disappears from the high street, with only the brand, website, and intellectual property being kept alive by The Range, who paid £5 million for them....

'Lots of emotions' as Leicester Wilko shuts for the final time

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