More than 600 retail workers faced an uncertain future today after the owner of a chain of four department stores pulled the plug on the businesses.
Merchant Retail, which generates most of its sales from The Perfume Shop, is to sell its Joplings store at Tynedale Park, Northumberland, for £17 million after receiving an offer three times the site's value from Tesco.
It also told staff today that buyers were being sought for two remaining Joplings - at Sunderland and a Robbs-branded outlet at Hexham. The closure of a Woodward's store at Leamington Spa has already begun.
A statement said: ''The board is extremely sad to have reached this conclusion and is deeply concerned for the future of the many people who work for the group in the Joplings division. The board will do all it can to assist them.''
At least 170 staff are expected to lose their jobs at Tynedale Park but the company said it was hopeful the remainder of its team could be kept on by future buyers. In total 613 workers are affected by today's moves.
The company has around 100 outlets of The Perfume Shop and will keep its de Gruchy department store in Jersey, which has been operating independently.
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