Crying for Wilko is an all-too-familiar British retail story

When British discount store Wilko Ltd. collapsed into administration last week, there was an outpouring of grief for the seller of DIY kits, garden light bulbs and cleaning supplies. Shoppers took to social media to say how much they would miss the retailer that began life for him in Leicester in the 1930s.

It’s a familiar image: when the British variety chain Woolworths collapsed in 2008, there was a rush of nostalgia for the high street shop famous for its Pick n Mix sweets. And when Topshop’s parent company Arcadia went bankrupt three years ago, fashionistas remembered visiting its Oxford Circus flagship store for skinny jeans, floral dresses and faux fur coats.