British chain Wilco closes its doors and lays off 12,500 workers

a The consulting firm PwC, which is managing the bankruptcy process, today announced the layoffs of an additional 9,100 employees, after 1,600 were announced in recent weeks.

This is without counting the departure of those who decided not to wait for the situation to develop, according to what a PricewaterhouseCoopers spokesman explained in contact with Agence France-Presse.

Nearly all of the company’s 12,500 jobs will disappear.

PricewaterhouseCoopers explained in a statement that it “examined all possibilities to save the company,” but “it has become clear that there is no part of Wilco’s operations that can be saved.”

Wilco declared bankruptcy at the beginning of August, after rising costs of living and inflation in the United Kingdom.

Created in the 1930s, as a jewelery selling establishment, in the center of Leicester, it quickly spread throughout the United Kingdom and expanded the range of products, ranging from interior decoration to home appliances, among other things.

The GMB union criticized the “incompetence that led to the collapse”.

Wilko’s rival, B&M, has already announced the acquisition of 51 stores from the chain, without saying how many jobs it will protect.

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