A CEILING collapse shocked horrified shoppers at a former Wilko just hours after re-opening as Poundland

Pieces of tile fell from above at a Greater Manchester store in Eccles, Salford, after welcoming customers in on Saturday.

The broken chucks narrowly missed one employee's head, as reported by the MEN.

There were also other issues, and parts of the shop were in desperate need for repair despite being open to the public.

Leaks could be seen causing damp on the ceiling and water was dripping onto the floors.

But, new Poundland bosses said while they accept work needs to be done, they stand by their decision to open – and get people back into jobs quickly.

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Darren Kay, Poundland retail director, told the MEN: “We’re pleased to be able to re-open so quickly in Eccles – not least because our ambition is to provide job opportunities for former Wilko colleagues.

“Of course, we’re not yet in a position to offer our fullest ranges in the store, but we know customers will appreciate a store that’s open, trading and employing colleagues to one that’s got its shutters closed.

“We’d encourage customers old and new to come and say hello to their new Poundland team.

"Poundland intends to carry out a full makeover of the Eccles store in 2024 so it can become a fully operational Poundland."

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So far, the budget retailer has taken on 13 former Wilko staff members and hopes to offer more their job back.

Wilko announced the company was going into administration in August earlier this year.

The brand, which employed 12,500 staff members and ran 400 branches across the UK, confirmed all stores will pull the shutters down by Sunday, October 8.

Closures across the nation have sparked emotional farewell tributes and videos as staff leave their branch for the final time.

Footage shared on social media showed the moment dedicated employees filed out of the Wilko branch in Worksop, Nottinghamshire that had run for 26 years.

Elsewhere in the UK, one fan of the Hounslow store which is due to close today wrote that the town just "won't be the same without Wilko".

And, a Leicestershire branch that waved goodbye on September 17, saw workers dancing as they left to commemorate many happy years.

But, PwC did agree a sale of the retailer's brand name and website to The Range, so it will live on.

Poundland also bought up 71 Wilko stores and said the former workers would be first in line for new jobs.

Meanwhile, rival discounter B&M snapped up 51 Wilko shops in a £13million deal.

Which Wilko stores are closing this week?

The following stores will shut on Tuesday, October 3:

• Hounslow, Greater London
• St Albans, Hertfordshire
• Dunstable, Bedfordshire
• Weston Favell, Northampton
• Bristol
• Lancaster, Lancashire
• Leeds Trinity, West Yorkshire
• Reading, Berkshire
• Poole, Dorset
• Lincoln, Lincolnshire
• Halifax, West Yorkshire
• Washington, Newcastle upon Tyne
• Hitchin, Hertfordshire
• Chatham, Kent
• Southend, Essex
• Metro Centre, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear
• Epsom, Surrey
• Cannon Park, Coventry, Warwickshire
• Norwich, Norfolk
• Preston, Lancashire
• Canterbury, Kent
• Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey
• Carlisle, Cumbria
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Kingswood, Bristol
• Colchester, Essex
• Ilford, Greater London
• Maidstone, Kent
• Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire

The following stores will shut on Thursday, October 5:

• Bishop Stortford, Hertfordshire
• Tottenham Hale, Greater London
• Worthing, West Sussex
• Romford, Greater London
• Selly Oak, Birmingham
• Wembley, London
• Birstall, West Yorkshire
• Uxbridge, Greater London
• Burton, Staffordshire
• Lee Circle, Leicester, Leicestershire
• West Ealing, London
• Blackburn, Lancaster
• Bexleyheath, Greater London
• The Beacon Eastbourne, East Sussex
• Weymouth, Dorset
• Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire
• Beaumont Leys, Leicester, Leicestershire
• Hinckley, Leicestershire
• Livingston, Scotland
• Chelmsford, Essex
• Riverside Shopping Centre, Northampton, East Midlands
• Sittingbourne, Kent
• Stourbridge, West Midlands
• Manchester, Greater Manchester
• Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
• Deepdale, Preston, Lancashire
• Basingstoke, Hampshire
• Clifton Moor, York, North Yorkshire
• Burgess Hill, West Sussex
• Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway
• Harrow, London
• Tooting, London
• Telford, Shropshire
• Ipswich, Suffolk
• St James Retail Park, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
• Nottingham, Midlands
• Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
• Bulwell, Nottinghamshire
• Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
• Frenchgate Shopping Centre, Doncaster, South Yorkshire
• Clifton, Bristol

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The following stores will shut on Sunday, October 8:

• Neath, Neath Port Talbot
• Bromley, London
• Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire
• Cardiff, South Glamorgan
• Selby, North Yorkshire
• Arnold, Nottinghamshire
• Portsmouth, Hampshire
• Oswestry, Shropshire
• Chester, Cheshire
• Hucknall, Nottinghamshire
• Ayr, South Ayrshire
• Widnes, Cheshire
• Horsham, West Sussex
• Birkenhead, Merseyside
• Kingston Centre, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
• Parkgate, Rotherham, South Yorkshire
• Perry Barr, Birmingham, West Midlands
• Castleford, West Yorkshire
• Porthmadog, Caernarfonshire
• Brighouse, West Yorkshire
• Chelmsley Wood, West Midlands
• Swansea, Wales
• Sunderland, Tyne and Wear
• Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire
• Silverlink, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear
• Chesterfield, Derbyshire
• Sutton, Surrey
• Derby, Derbyshire
• Scarborough, North Yorkshire
• Crystal Peaks, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
• Plymouth, Devon
• Ely, Cambridgeshire
• Loughborough, Leicestershire
• Liverpool, Merseyside
• Stratford, London
• Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
• Coventry, West Midlands
• Sheffield, South Yorkshire
• Exeter, Devon
• Luton, Bedfordshire
• Wood Green, London

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