Leeds' Crossgates Shopping Centre 'elated' as 'giant retail chain' to fill empty Wilko shop

Butcher Malcolm Leary and former Wilko employee Sarah Jackson
-Credit: (Image: Malcolm Leary)


Leeds’ most popular butcher Malcolm Leary is ‘elated’ that a 'new giant chain' store is coming to his shopping centre in place of the old Wilko shop.

Malcolm, co-owner of Malcolm Michaels Butchers, which has about 40,000 followers online, has said Crossgates Shopping Centre will be able to shake off the ‘negative atmosphere’ the large vacant retail unit had created. Wilko closed its stores across the UK in October last year, relaunching as an online retailer.

It has not yet been confirmed what company is taking over the unit.

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A former Wilko employee Sarah Jackson, who now works for Malcolm, spoke about how the closure broke up her ‘work family’ after 14 years of employment. Sarah hopes her old colleagues will be considered for positions at the new store.

Malcolm, who is known for a range of charitable campaigns, as well as large social media presence, said the new store would benefit the community, following the devastation of the Wilko job losses. Malcolm said: “It had a negative effect. Sales didn’t drop but it put a negative atmosphere where people were saying ‘once one goes, it’s a domino effect’. The management has done well to get this in and a few other traders at the same time.

“I’m elated because when I came here two years ago, I did my research on what was here and would suit my own business. Being beside the Wilkos was perfect but when that went, it was devastating.

“I got to know all the people who worked there and everyone was upset. It was a big thing to be taken out of Crossgates Shopping Centre for the retail unit and the community. Everyone is excited about it. It’s good news.”

Speaking of the closure, mother-of-one, Sarah said: “It was awful, there’s no other words. It broke a work family up. There was no one there, really, who’d been there for like less than six years. It was long term.

“A lot of them are still out of jobs a year after so it would be nice if they could consider them.”

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