WATCH: 'End of an era' as Sutton staff 'raise a glass' to mark the closure of town's Wilko store
Wilko shoppers and staff in Sutton gathered outside the High Street shopfront to mark the “end of an era” with a celebratory drink – as the long-standing business closed its doors for the final time after falling into administration.
The Sutton store, located on 78-82 High Street, closed its doors for the last time on Tuesday, September 26, after serving its final customers.
Staff members were greeted with cheers and applause from “supportive” shoppers as they toasted the closure with a glass of champagne.
Workers thanked their “loyal” and “fantastic” customers for their continued support over the years as they addressed growing crowds.
The company, founded in 1930, was first opened by JK Wilkinson in Leicester and has since opened more than 400 stores across the UK.
But sadly, the High Street chain announced they had appointed administrators in August after failing to secure a rescue deal for the business.
Earlier this month, Wilko’s administrators PwC announced the closure of all stores with Sutton being one of the 111 scheduled to close week commencing Monday, September 25.
Customer Linda Henstock shared a video – capturing the final moments between staff and customers at the Sutton store – with members of Sutton Living Memory Group on Facebook.
The video shared a “touching” moment as team members bid farewell to the store on their final day as colleagues under the Wilko brand.
Captioning the video, Linda said: “End of an era in Sutton. Proud to say a sad goodbye. Thank you for the service.
"It was a pleasure to support the staff at this sad time.”