BASINGSTOKE’S Wilko store has appeared on lists of stores ‘at risk of closure’ after the retailer announced it is on the brink of collapse.

Various national newspaper websites have published articles with ‘all the stores at risk of closure’, including the one in The Malls, Basingstoke.

However, the list is in fact all of the 400 Wilko shops in the UK, which are all under possible threat of closure following the announcement, putting around 12,000 jobs at risk.

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No announcements have yet been made regarding individual stores and staff.

The budget retail chain said it had filed a ‘notice of intention’ to appoint administrators after failing to find enough emergency investment.

However, it said all sites will continue to operate as usual for now. Even if administrators are brought in, the stores could keep running if a buyer is found.

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Wilko's chief executive Mark Jackson said it would continue to talk with interested parties about options for the business and hopes to find a solution to “preserve the business”.

In March last year, Basingstoke customer raised concerns that the town’s Wilko branch might be closing.

However, Wilko reassured its customers that The Malls shop was not shutting down, following concerns that it had been short of stock for months, saying this was down to “distribution issues”.