Wilko in Richmond Gardens has confirmed its closure in February

Located in Richmond Garden shopping centre in Bournemouth, Wilko has confirmed its closure on 12 February.

Wilko has briefed their employees of the decision to close the store at the end of its lease, unless more favourable terms can be agreed with landlords.

Closing the Wilko store will have a massive impact as it is a big attraction for shoppers in the region.

A spokesperson said: “We have been looking at our options, but the reality is that we have been unable to reach an agreement with the landlord that makes this store commercially viable.”

Jerome Saint-Marc, Wilko CEO said: “Our history is steeped in serving our customers and communities going back to 1930 but there’s no denying the way people shop with us and where they want to shop with us is changing.

“As a business we’re evolving and this includes working with landlords for more favourable terms, as well as looking at locations and store formats. We’ll continue to pull together to make our business better to secure the future of over 16,000 team members.

“We’ll be doing everything we can to support our affected team members who will be offered any available positions in nearby stores.

“We apologise to customers but will continue to offer them everything they need in nearby stores or via wilko.com.

“Nearest alternative Wilko stores are Winton and Boscombe.”