HUNDREDS of North-East jobs were under threat last night after two discount retailers went into administration.
Footwear chain The Famous Brunswick Warehouse and clothes retailer What Everyone Wants were placed in the hands of administrators Ernst &Young.
Both will continue to trade as efforts to sell the businesses get under way.
Newcastle company Brunswick employs 740 staff across Northern England and Scotland, with 67 stores including shops at Hartlepool and South Shields.
What Everyone Wants has 2,500 staff and 130 shops. There are seven in the region, at Darlington, Gates-head, Hartlepool, Redcar, Scarborough, Stockton and Sunderland.
The two chains have been under pressure to cut costs because of competition from Matalan and other discount retailers.
Ernst & Young isconfident the businesses can be sold.
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