Woolworths to close on January 4 - with 29000 jobs lost

Woolworths will today announce all its British stores will be closed by January 4 - with the loss of 29,000 jobs.
Deloitte was unable to make a comment, but confirmed there would be a press briefing this afternoon.

Some staff were told in face to face meetings yesterday that the closures across the 813 stores will start on December 27.
Last week shoppers emptied shelves and snapped up bargains as closing-down sales were launched.


Huge queues built up after the sale was announced by administrator Deloitte following the failure to find a buyer for the struggling firm.

Deloitte had already warned some stores could close before the end of December if no offers for the business emerged.

Woolworths has been in business for almost a century but was forced to call in administrators three weeks ago as debts and losses mounted in a worsening high street climate.

If stores close before the end of December, the administrator said it would consult employees to discuss the support available in the event of redundancies.

Deloitte has held talks with the likes of former Woolworths chief executive Sir Geoff Mulcahy and Dragon's Den star Theo Paphitis but no deals have been struck.

The complexity of the group's leases and difficulty in restocking the business after Christmas has reportedly put off interested parties.

A Woolworths shop worker, who declined to be named, said he received an email today saying all stores would close by January 4.

He said the email from the firm's head office listed 200 stores that would close on December 27, followed by a second batch on New Year's Eve and the final batch on January 4.

He said: "The email said it was a delicate time for all employees and the administrators would do all they could to help.

"But we've heard nothing. We're just getting what we can off the internet."