Shoppers in Bolton said they were shocked at the news Wilko was going into administration saying it was a huge blow to the town centre.

One said the town looked much better in videos from the 1990s.

The Bolton News reported yesterday athat bosses said the store had no choice but to go into administration.

There are fears the store on Deansgate could be gone by the weekend.

Matt Lomax, a 39-year-old man from Breightmet who works in telesales, said: "It is bad, it is shocking.

"Everywhere it is not like it used to be.

"I watched some vidoes on Youtube of Bolton, it was better then."

The Bolton News: Matt Lomax

Nelson Ferrara, a 48-year-old support worker from Tonge Moor, said: "It is a good shop, we need good shops like that here.

"It is bad news for the whole country.

"I visit it frequently."

The Bolton News: Nelson Ferrara

Joyce Roberts, a 67-year-old cleaner in a care home from Halliwell, said: "Another one bites the dust.

"It is one of them.

"I used to visit the one in Bury town centre a lot.

"I went into the one in Bolton yesterday."

The Bolton News: Joyce Roberts

With over 400 stores it will see over 12,000 jobs across the UK put at risk at Wilko.

Bolton South MP Yasmin Qureshi expressed her disappointment.

She said: “It is sad to see that Wilko is potentially closing down.

“The Bolton Town Centre store remains open for now and the company is looking for the buyer but the signs are that by Saturday the company could be gone for good.

“This will be a huge disappointment for Bolton.

“Unfortunately, with this particular closure, there is very little that can be done locally to stop it.

“My biggest concern is for the staff who are now left in a perilous situation.

“If you are a staff member at Wilko, I recommend contacting ACAS, who can provide in-depth advice about your rights and entitlement to support.”

Zelf Hussain, joint administrator and PwC partner, said: “It is incredibly sad that a well-loved, family business that has been on the high street for over 90 years has had to go into administration today.

“Many high street retailers are facing a number of well-documented challenges and Wilko has been significantly impacted by the headwinds facing the industry including inflationary pressure and rising interest rates.

“As administrators, we will continue to engage with parties who may be interested in acquiring all or part of the business.

“Stores will continue to trade as normal for the time being and staff will continue to be paid.”

Administrators at PwC have confirmed Wilko will continue to trade from all its stores “without any immediate redundancies” after they were appointed on Thursday morning.