Wilko’s distribution centres in Worksop up for sale following collapse of retailer

Nottingham-headquartered national auction house John Pye & Sons has been appointed by the joint administrators of Wilko Ltd to manage the sale of plant and machinery following its closure.

The administrators have since appointed John Pye Auctions to manage the sale of plant and machinery from Wilko’s two distribution centres in Worksop - Nottinghamshire and Newport - Wales covering 1.2m sq ft and 880,000 sq ft, respectively. Comprising pallet racking, recycling and handling equipment, all items will be sold via online auction from Newport, Wales as well as across various John Pye sites.

Everything from Godswill baling presses, waste compactors and conveyor systems to tractors, roll cages, access equipment, IT and photographic studios will be included in the lots.

Offers are also being invited for the Mecalux Pallet racking from both distribution centres, with the auctioneer already experiencing interest from high street retailers and logistics companies.

Charles Loake, Associate Director, Joint Head of John Pye Business & Property, commented: “The wilko staff we have been fortunate to work with have been a true credit to the firm to the very end, supporting us with all stages of the asset removal and sale processes.

“We are always very sorry to see a long-established business facing this situation. Wilko has earned a strong reputation as a much-loved high-street retailer over the years, and we will do our best to secure the best outcomes for these assets under these challenging circumstances.”

Administrators were called in to the business last month after months of uncertainty fuelled by the pandemic.

Around 12,500 jobs across 400 stores were lost as a result of the firm’s collapse along with the closure of a support centre and headquarters in Worksop and two distribution centres in Worksop and Newport, South Wales.

Wilko assets will go on sale at www.johnpye.co.uk from next week onwards. For all asset enquiries, please contact [email protected]