It is the beginning of the end for Wilko stores across the UK as the retailer shuts its first group of shops today (September 12) after falling into administration.

The 90-year-old retailer will close 52 UK branches today and Thursday after failing to secure a deal to rescue the stores.

One of the 24 shops closing today is in Nelson’s Pendle Rise Shopping Centre.

A Wilko store in Burnley’s Charter Walk Shopping Centre is set to close on Thursday, September 14.

Family-owned Wilko employed 12,500 staff and ran 400 shops before it hired administrators early last month after it came under pressure from weak consumer spending and debts to suppliers.

All its stores have continued to trade in recent weeks as it has worked through remaining stock, with the retailer discounting thousands of products.

Last week administrators at PwC confirmed that a number of shops would have to close for good after they were unable to secure a deal which would buy all of the firm’s shops.

It later confirmed that 52 shops were earmarked for closure after they were not targeted by potential buyers for parts of the retail business.

These closures will result in 1,016 redundancies, while administrators have also announced hundreds of other job cuts impacting warehouse and support centre staff.

A further 124 shops will shut for good next week as the process continues, with the final 222 stores all due to close by early October.

PwC said the firm’s warehouse will shut on Friday, with final support centre workers leaving in early October as operations completely unwind.

Administrators are still in talks over deals to sell store properties, but are shutting down sites after failing to find a suitor who would take them on as Wilko shops and retain their staff.

Edward Williams, joint administrator, said: “In the absence of viable offers for the whole business, very sadly store closures and redundancies of team members from those stores are now necessary.

“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.”