The 12,500 jobs at risk from Wilko’s collapse is set to take the number of job losses on the high street to more than 100,000 since 2020, according to new figures from the Centre for Retail Research.
The data shows that there have been more than 17,000 job losses at large and medium-sized retailers this year so far, including some already made at the collapsed value retailer.
However, the bulk of Wilko staff are not yet counted in that total, according to This Is Money.
The 17,000 jobs in the first nine months of 2022, eclipses the 6,732 jobs lost last year. Some 24,179 jobs were lost in 2021 and 53,364 jobs were aced in 2020 when the pandemic took its toll.
In total more than 101,000 people have lost their jobs in retail since 2020, when the Wilko staff are taken into account.
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Over the past three years, the retail industry has suffered many high profile collapses, such as Debenhams and Topshop owner Arcadia.
Wilko is the latest name to join that list and all 400 of its stores are set to close next month, making it the latest retail failure since Woolworths.
Although B&M and Poundland have snapped up 122 of its stores, it is uncertain whether jobs will be saved.
Poundland said that Wilko staff would have priority when applying for jobs at the 71 stores it has bought.
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