News
Eight more Wilko stores to shut in Greater Manchester following rescue collapse
A further 124 closures have been announced for next week
Over 100 Wilko stores are expected to shut next week, including eight from Greater Manchester, after attempts to secure deals to rescue the retailer failed.
The collapsed high street chain announced it would be closing the first 52 of its locations this week, but has now been forced to close a further 124 more stores next week, marking the beginning of the end for Wilko.
Thousands of its shop and warehouse staff members will lose their jobs with support centre staff and administrators now also confirmed among them.
Wilko rivals B&M agreed to purchase 51 Wilko stores in a £13 million deal, but the locations will not be run under the Wilko brand, it is understood. The exact store locations are yet to be revealed.
The eight Greater Manchester stores set to close next week:
- Droylsden
- Leigh
- Middleton
- Wythenshawe
- Bolton
- Bury
- Denton
- Wigan
The 24 Wilkos stores set to close today (September 12th):
- Acton
- Aldershot
- Barking
- Bishop Auckland
- Bletchley
- Brownhills
- Camberley
- Cardiff Bay Retail Park
- Falmouth
- Harpurhey
- Irvine
- Liverpool Edge Lane
- Llandudno
- Lowestoft
- Morley
- Nelson
- Port Talbot
- Putney
- Stafford
- Tunbridge Wells
- Wakefield
- Weston-super-Mare
- Westwood Cross
- Winsford
Full list of stores closing on Sunday, September 17th:
- Accrington, Lancashire
- Ashington, Northumberland
- Blackwood, Wales
- Bognor Regis, West Sussex
- Bradford, West Yorkshire
- Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
- Coalville, Leicestershire
- Crawley, West Sussex
- Droylsden, Greater Manchester
- Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
- Falkirk, Stirlingshire
- Ferndown, Dorset
- Hanley, Staffordshire
- Humberstone, Leicestershire
- Huyton, Merseyside
- Kensington High Street, London
- Kings Heath, Birmingham
- Lakeside, Essex
- Leigh, Greater Manchester
- Letchworth, Hertfordshire
- Maidenhead, Berkshire
- Market Harborough, Leicestershire
- Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire
- Newport, Wales
- Orpington, Greater London
- Pontefract, West Yorkshire
- Pontypool, Wales
- Redruth, Cornwall
- Rugeley, Staffordshire
- Shirley, Birmingham
- Southport, Lancashire
- Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne
- Torquay, Devon
- Wimbledon, Greater London
- Wombwell, South Yorkshire
- Woodhouse Lane, Leeds
- Worcester, Worcestershire
- Workington, Cumbria
The 38 Wilko stores that will close next Tuesday, September 19th:
- Aberdare, Wales
- Alfreton, Derbyshire
- Ashby, North Lincolnshire
- Barnstaple, Devon
- Belper, Derbyshire
- Beverley, East Yorkshire
- Blackheath, Birmingham
- Brigg, North Lincolnshire
- Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne
- Chepstow, Wales
- Clifton, Nottingham
- Colindale, Greater London
- Devizes, Wiltshire
- Didcot, Oxfordshire
- Earlestown, Lancashire
- East Ham, Great London
- Great Bridge, Birmingham
- Greenbridge, Swindon
- Grimsby, North Linconshire
- Hessle Road, Hull
- Jarrow, South Tyneside
- Kimberley, Nottingham
- Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
- Long Eaton, Derbyshire
- Maesteg, Wales
- Matlock, Derbyshire
- Middleton, Manchester
- Newton Abbot, Devon
- Redcar
- Ripley, Derbyshire
- Seaham, County Durham
- Sherwood, Nottingham
- Stamford, Lincolnshire
- Stevenage, Hertfordshire
- Swanley, Kent
- Tamworth, Staffordshire
- Wrexham, Wales
- Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester
The 48 Wilko stores closing next Thursday, September 21st:
- Allestree, Derbyshire
- Andover, Hampshire
- Bedford, Bedfordshire
- Beeston, Nottinghamshire
- Bicester, Oxfordshire
- Bloxwich, West Midlands
- Bolton, Greater Manchester
- Bordon, East Hampshire
- Bransholme, East Yorkshire
- Bridgend, Wales
- Bury, Greater Manchester
- Carlton, Nottingham
- Clacton on Sea, Essex
- Cramlington, Northumberland
- Crewe, Cheshire
- Cwmbran, South Wales
- Cyfarthfa Retail Park, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
- Denton, Greater Manchester
- Driffield, East Yorkshire
- Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire
- Edmonton Green, Greater London
- Farnborough, Hampshire
- Fort Kinnaird shopping centre, Edinburgh
- Fulham, Greater London
- Gateshead
- Gorleston-on-sea, Norfolk
- Grays, Essex
- Greenock, Inverclyde
- Havant, Hampshire
- Hereford, Herefordshire
- Hillsborough, Sheffield
- Holyhead, Wales
- Newton Aycliffe, County Durham
- Northampton, Northamptonshire
- Orton Gate Shopping Centre, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
- Parc Trostre Retail Park, Llanelli, Wales
- Penge, Greater London
- Peterlee, County Durham
- Pwllheli, Wales
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
- Slough, Berkshire
- Swindon, Wiltshire
- Tamworth Retail Park, Staffordshire
- Taunton, Somerset
- Walton-on-Thames, Surrey
- Wheatley Retail Park, Doncaster, South Yorkshire
- Wigan, Greater Manchester
- Wolverhampton, West Midlands
We’re pleased to announce that Proper Manchester is rebranding as Finest City Guides.
As part of this change, the Proper Manchester brand, including its social media channels, will transition to the Finest City Guides name.
This is a rebrand of the existing platform rather than a new or unrelated business. The same team behind Proper Manchester will continue to operate Finest City Guides as we develop the platform under its new identity.
Previous name: Proper Manchester
New name: Finest City Guides
Our social channels and other brand assets will be updated to reflect the Finest City Guides name as part of this transition.
More from Finest City Guides coming soon.
News
Oasis announce huge reunion tour as Liam and Noel Gallagher ‘make peace’
The news we’ve all been waiting for!
After years of will-they-won’t-they speculation, Oasis are officially BACK together for a reunion tour.
The Gallagher brothers have put aside their differences in the name of music, making thousands of fans extremely happy in the process.
The band teased the news on their socials over the weekend, posting a video on Sunday morning with today’s date (Tuesday, August 27th) and the time 8am.
And now shows have been announced for multiple dates in the UK and Ireland, with tickets going live this Saturday, August 31st.
The legendary Mancunian rockers will take to the stage next summer, with gigs in Cardiff, London, Edinburgh, Dublin and, of course, Manchester.
15 years after splitting, the band confirmed they would be back for 14 shows, saying: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised”.
The gigs will be Oasis’s ‘only shows in Europe next year’, with tickets on sale this Saturday at 8am in Ireland and 9am in the UK.
The Oasis 2025 tour dates in full:
July
4th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium
5th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium
11th – Manchester, Heaton Park
12th – Manchester, Heaton Park
19th – Manchester, Heaton Park
20th – Manchester, Heaton Park
25th – London, Wembley Stadium
26th – London, Wembley Stadium
August
2nd – London, Wembley Stadium
3rd – London, Wembley Stadium
8th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
9th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
16th – Dublin, Croke Park
17th – Dublin, Croke Park
You can grab your tickets HERE.
News
Stagecoach hiring over 100 new bus drivers for Bee Network with £31k salaries
Fancy a career change?
Stagecoach Manchester is hiring over 100 new bus drivers to work from its Oldham depot, following the second phase of the Bee Network launch in March.
You can apply for a range of roles, from positions with no experience required to fully qualified bus drivers.
Successful applicants will receive full training as part of the job, and trainees will get paid to train. Then after only 12 months’ service at Stagecoach, drivers can expect to earn up to £16 per hour, which equates to £31.6K per year, before overtime.
As well as that, drivers that already hold a PCV licence may be eligible to receive a £1,200 joining bonus.
Stagecoach
There’s also a host of other benefits available to all Stagecoach employees, like 28 days paid holiday, generous pension and free Stagecoach bus travel for successful applicants and a companion.
Rob Jones, Managing Director at Stagecoach Manchester said: “Expanding our offering in Oldham means we’ll be investing more in the economy and supporting our local community, as well as strengthening our workforce.
“Whether you’re looking for a career change or you’re a fully qualified, experienced bus driver, there’s a role for everyone here in Oldham.
“We’re looking for personable and dedicated drivers who are ready to help us build on the success of the Bee Network and connect the people of Oldham and Greater Manchester with the places and people that are important to them.”
Stagecoach
Phil Cornwall, bus driver at Stagecoach Manchester, said: “I’ve been a driver at Stagecoach for 25 years and I couldn’t recommend it more.
“From the perks to the people to the passengers, it really is a great place to work.”
To apply, head to the Stagecoach website HERE.
Find something to do in Manchester
Powered by 
Proper Manchester is becoming Finest City Guides
Famous faces to come to life in ‘groundbreaking’ new immersive National Portrait Gallery exhibition
Pub dementia group struggling to run free regular afternoon meet ups with rising costs
Ornella’s Kitchen and more coming to Freight Island as part of huge summer programme
Manchester to transform into HUGE interactive playzone for free family festival this February half term
