Wilko shoppers have shared their sadness as shops across the city are under threat of closure.

The retailer is looking for a buyer after going into administration earlier this month, putting 12,500 jobs at risk.

With rising costs and the ever-growing popularity of online shopping, Southampton residents have voiced their concerns over the future of Wilko stores and other big names on the high street.

Speaking at the Wilko branch in West Quay Retail Park, which is displaying big sale signs, retiree Jane Rickett, 70, from Hythe said: "Until coming to Wilko today, we had no idea this was happening across the country. 

"Half the shelves were empty and I think it is very sad because so many people use this shop.

"These closures are just madness - this shop is always busy, so I cannot understand why it is happening.

"I had a word with a staff member who told me that Wilko is looking for a buyer - this is just awful for the shop staff who don't know if they need to be looking for another job."

The GMB union has said redundancy discussions could be restarted on Thursday as it awaits final details from a bidder seeking to purchase the entire business.

Sarah Franklin, 52, a site manager from Hythe, said: "It's a real shame. Wilko in Southampton is the only place I can go locally to get peanut kibble to fee the birds.

"There are so many bits and pieces that I can only get here. Everything seems to be going online, but online shopping is not for everyone. Sometimes you need to see a product on the shelf before you know if it is right to buy.

"Woolworths, Debenhams and now Wilko, I think that online shopping has killed shops."

Rebecca Wort, 48, a cleaner from Lymington, said: "This is really bad - Wilko's products are so cheap and affordable.

"Where on earth are all the Wilko staff in Southampton and across the country going to go, they'll all be out of a job.

"High streets now are filling up with charity shop and coffee places - the old shops like Wilko are all gone."