The Wilko store in Basingstoke has closed its doors for the final time.

The store opened to customers for the last time on Thursday, October 5, as part of the company's broader shutdown, before shutting just before 5pm.

By the time of closure, the store's shelves had been nearly emptied, with only a handful of items left unsold.

This closure is among 124 Wilko stores across the South East and London that are ceasing operations on or before the same date.

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@basingstokegazette The Basingstoke Wilko has closed forever 💔 #Basingstoke #Wilko ♬ Sad Scene BGM Piano Instrument(313618) - HomeMadeGarbage

Wilkinson Hardware Stores Ltd, Wilko Ltd, and wilko.com Ltd had been exploring options to save the business since going into administration.

However, despite extensive efforts, it was determined that no significant part of the Wilko operation could be rescued and as a result, the joint administrators informed all staff that they would commence the closure of all Wilko stores, two distribution centres, and the majority of activities of the support centre.

Basingstoke Gazette: Wilko in Basingstoke closed its doors for the last time on Thursday, October 5Wilko in Basingstoke closed its doors for the last time on Thursday, October 5 (Image: Mark Paine)

This move has resulted in the redundancies of approximately 9,100 employees across the affected stores.

When the news broke that Wilko was closing last month, The Gazette visited The Malls and spoke to shoppers about how they reacted to the news.

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Jean Marshall said: "I've used the store lots, and having a store like Wilko in the town centre is such a massive convenience for lots of people who can't travel out to the B&M's and The Range, which are all located outside of the town centre."

Andrea Graham said: "I think it's so sad to see it go. To be honest, my grandson used to work for Wilko, it's provided a lot of people with jobs, and it provided him with a job, that was great for him. It's like Woolworths where you knew you could go in there and get odd bits and pieces you can't get anywhere else."

Linda Pope said: "I'm choked about this, I really am. I've shopped there ever since I was young. When it's empty, it makes the whole area look bad."