A RIVAL retailer has agreed a deal to buy 51 Wilko stores from administrators following the collapse of the discount chain - but it is not yet known if the Greenock outlet is among them.

Wilko's 400 UK stores, including Greenock’s Oak Mall branch, have been at risk since administrators were drafted in last month.

Insolvency experts from PwC have spent recent weeks seeking to hammer out a rescue deal.

They have since held talks with a number of suitors, including HMV owner Doug Putman, in a bid to save 12,500 jobs.

B&M European Value Retail confirmed today that it has agreed a deal worth up to £13million.

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It remains unclear whether the Greenock store is included.

In a statement, B&M said: “The consideration is fully funded from existing cash reserves and the acquisition is not expected to be conditional on any regulatory clearances.

“An update on the timing of these new store openings will be provided in the H1 interim results announcement on November 9.”

When the news was announced last month, shoppers told the Tele they feared for jobs being lost in the town.

Rose Tylee, 71, said: “It’s disastrous. Wilko is one the bigger shops we have in Greenock and everyone I speak to shops there.

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“They want people to shop in the town but with things like this soon there will be nothing left.

Another shopper added: “I feel very sorry for the staff. I’ve always found it a good shop for picking up things.

“Greenock doesn’t have much left in the town centre."

B&M runs around 1,150 stores across the UK and France, including its home store on Inverkip Street and Port Glasgow branch at Gallagher Retail Park.

The company has been contacted for comment on the Greenock Wilko branch.