In stark defiance of the typical fairytale ending, the embattled high street retailer, Wilko, faces an impending employee exodus after a whimsically belated lifesaver offered by ready cash juggernaut M2 Capital miserably flopped. The classic "knight in shining armour" script was hastily rewritten when the private equity firm's chequebook was found without enough zeros, according to confused but relatively entertained administrators. Anxious managers at Wilko’s Worksop support centre have been left frantically searching for the right shades of pink to hand out severance notices to the unfortunate 269 staff members, who, until recently, thought they were playing supporting roles in a retail remake of "The Great Escape". The supporting act, Kin Limited, will bid farewell to a further 14 of its ensemble cast. M2 Capital, who, in a truly Shakespearean twist, couldn't validate its piggy bank as carrying the necessary £90 million, left Wilko hanging as the clock stroke midnight. The Cinderella-esque retailer, dressing down to its rags, awaits further announcements of job cuts next week. As the pumpkin carriage of M2 Capital rides back to its gated mansion, the workforce is yet to find clear indications of any fairy godmother swooping in to recast the story. "Our dedication to inadequacy remains unparalleled," an imaginary spokesperson for M2 Capital possibly would have said. "We apologize for the raised hopes. Rest assured, when it comes to last-minute aborted acquisitions, we will continue striving towards our legacy of disappointment." The tale leaves a poignant moral to our capitalist society: that not all golden parachutes are spun from Rumpelstiltskin's straw, and sometimes, the princes who promise to save the day turn out to have portfolios thinner than the beanstalk that carried Jack into the clouds. And for the workers at Wilko - well, they’re not in Kansas anymore.