Peterborough's Stagecoach East urges former Wilko staff to make next career stop on the buses

Staff at collapsed retailer Wilko are being urged to consider a career working on the buses with Stagecoach East.

Bosses at the bus and coach operator are encouraging workers with the discount retailer, which went into administration last month, to apply for positions at Stagecoach East.

The offer comes as administrators look to shut 28 Wilko branches regionally with all 400 of its stores expected to close by early October, with the loss of 12,500 jobs. Wilko currently has stores in Peterborough, Ely, Mildenhall, Huntingdon, Bedford, Biggleswade, Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge.

Darren Roe, managing director of Stagecoach East, said: “The reality is that in a terrible situation like the collapse of Wilko, an awful lot of hard-working and talented people get caught up through no fault of their own.

"We would like to offer the possibility of a new start and a new career.

“If you are someone who takes pride in offering outstanding service to customers, then you could certainly be the right person for us.

"If you have an ethic of working hard to get the job done, then we want to hear from you.

“We thoroughly believe that we are one team – we are all in it together – so we offer training and support in a welcoming environment.

"We put a real emphasis on the mental health of our colleagues and have Health & Wellbeing Champions throughout our operations.”

Stagecoach East has operations in Peterborough, Cambridge, Fenstanton and Bedford employing staff in a range of roles including cleaning, driving, engineering, and office support. For career details visit here.