Hopes for a rescue of Wilko were boosted on Friday as the Canadian entrepreneur Doug Putman raised his bid for the budget retailer.
Putman, who already owns HMV, appears to be the only party interested in buying the Wilko name and a serious chunk of the ailing retailer, and it is not clear whether his last-ditch offer will be enough to prevent it from being broken up and sold for parts, with the loss of 12,500 jobs.
