WILKO in Ferndown is set to become a Poundland after a deal for the budget chain to buy up to 71 stores was agreed.

The Dorset store, in Victoria Road, Ferndown, is set to shut its doors for the final time on Sunday (September 17), with staff being made redundant.

Wilko went into administration, putting 12,000 jobs at risk, in August.

And although Poundland owner Pepco has confirmed the branch is among those set to be taken over, there has been no confirmation of jobs going to current workers.

The firm said it would aim to ‘prioritise’ Wilko workers when recruiting for the new stores, although no timeline for the openings has been announced.

READ MORE: Wilko goes into administration putting 12,000 jobs at risk

On Tuesday, PwC, administrators for Wilko, said Pepco had finalised a deal for the locations.

And Poundland lease agreements were set to be completed in the early autumn, with stores set to open before the end of the year.

A deal was previously struck for the B&M chain to buy 51 other Wilko stores.

The total number of stores involved in the buyouts – 122 – currently employ more than 3,200 Wilko staff.