I was crowned Wilko’s number one fan after spending hundreds every time I shop, they even gave me my own lanyard
WITH Wilko on the brink of administration, many customers will be mourning the loss of their favourite store.
However, there is one customer who is likely to be grieving more than others.
Louise Smith is officially the bargain shop’s number one fan having been awarded the title by Wilko last month.
The superfan beat thousands of other customers to the title after entering a competition on TikTok – and it certainly seems like she deserves the title.
The 34-year-old, from Sunderland, spends hundreds of pounds at a time at the discount chain sharing her hauls with her TikTok followers.
Recent shops have totalled up to £514.40 a pop with Louise bagging everything from home essentials to snacks and Louise reveals that she does at least one big shop a month.
She told Leistershire Live: “I’ve been shopping at Wilko since I was little girl, I used to go with my nana – I remember running around getting Halloween outfits, stationery and stuff for my hamsters.
“I just loved the place and still do.”
And Louise’s obsession with the store paid off with her being crowned the biggest fan in July.
As a reward she was given her own ‘Supermarket Sweep’ at the Leicester branch of the shop.
The trolley dash allowed Louise ten minutes to swipe as much as she could from the shop, keeping anything she managed to cram in her basket.
Her final total came to £932 with the shop worker winning £5,000 in total, and the remaining balance put on a store gift card to spend in future visits.
Louise also ended up with a hamper of goodies including pick and mix, gift cards, and a ‘number one fan’ Wilko badge and lanyard to wear with pride.
Speaking of her experience, Louise said: “I enjoyed every second, it was the best experience of my life.”
She added: “Sometimes I struggle to make ends meet and that has just helped me out so much. It’s life-changing for me.”
Sadly for Louise the shop may not be around much longer.
The bargain retailer filed a notice of intent to appoint administrators on Thursday.
Wilko chief executive Mark Jackson confirmed there has been “significant levels of interest” but that the business has not yet received an offer.
And it has resulted in the retailer having to take the “difficult decision to file an NOI [notice of intention].”
He said: “We’ll continue to progress discussions with interested parties with the aim of completing a transaction which preserves the business.”
The retailer is being advised by PwC, while property agents CBRE have been brought on board to negotiate with landlords.
A notice of intention gives Wilko a ten-day window to secure a deal while protected from action by other creditors.
If Wilko does file for administration this means all control of the business is passed to an appointed administrator – who has to be a licensed insolvency practitioner.
Their goal is to leverage the company’s assets and business to repay creditors.
It doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the business.
Instead, administrators will try to help a company find ways to repay debts or solve its cash flow problems.
Administration can last anywhere from a few weeks to up to a year or more.
But if the administration process can’t rescue the company or find a new owner, this usually leads to liquidation.
Liquidation is the process of selling all assets and then dissolving the company completely.
Wilko is yet to confirm exactly what will happen to all stores and 12,000 jobs.
It comes after the company announced plans to close more than a dozen of its shops in January last year.
Then in February 2023, it revealed it planned to cut over 400 jobs, including both store and head office roles.
Wilko, like many other high street retailers, is said to have seen a big drop in footfall and has “stopped performing to its full potential”.
Retailers have been feeling the pinch since the pandemic while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to soaring inflation.
High energy costs and a shift to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.