Union launches bid to halt town store closure
CAMPAIGNERS looking to save Wilko in Llanelli have kicked off a fight to keep the store open. Union bosses are urging store chiefs to rethink the decision to shut the branch for good in August.
It is one of two major store closures planned as a result of the pandemic in Wales – the other is in Merthyr Tydfil in September.
The store, which stands in the town’s shopping centre, helps bring footfall into the town. GMB Wales & South West has called for the change of heart through a QR code campaign, and said: “We urge Wilko to look again at its decision to close the store and ask for them to engage with GMB union and local political and civic representatives to find an alternative to the closure of the store.”
Originally, it was suggested Wilko was going to quit the St Elli Centre back in 2019 and that shoppers would have to visit the Parc Trostre outlet instead. But the store has remained at the heart of the town centre in Llanelli while other stores would shut up shop in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The face of the town has changed as a result of the past two years, with empty shops defining its streets. Six major stores have also gone from Parc Trostre, including Outfit, H&M, Debenhams, Clarks, Next and TUI.
But work has been carried out to help transform Llanelli town centre with their own Deliveroo-style service for people in the area. The scheme, which is entitled Deliverelli, delivers products straight from local businesses to customers’ doors.
It is being co-ordinated by Ymlaen Llanelli Business Improvement District (Bid) and funded by the UK Government.
The aim is to allow town centre businesses to offer an eco-friendly delivery service to their local customers, completely free of charge.
Customers can take the step of requesting a delivery from participating businesses when ordering over the phone, or by shopping in person, which means you can order lunch to a local office, or a delivery of fruit and veg that’s too heavy to carry home.
There are also a number of regeneration projects under way in the town and it has an active business improvement group, Ymlaen Llanelli, which holds Llanelli’s social events, which have helped give the town centre a major boost over the years.