Budgens announce closure dates for 34 stores

Food Retailer Operations Limited (FROL), an arm of business restructuring specialists Hilco Capital, appointed PwC as administrator last month after experiencing ‘difficult trading conditions’.

But the accountancy firm has failed to find a buyer for the group.

A total of 815 staff have begun the redundancy process.

Administrators are closing the convenience stores only nine months after the supermarket was bought from the Co-op.

A statement posted today said: “Since its acquisition of the stores from Co-op in July 2016, the Company had experienced difficult trading conditions. This resulted in the Company being placed into administration despite sustained efforts to make the business more commercially viable.

“Following their appointment, the Administrators have been assessing interest in the business. As a result, following the closure of nine stores at the weekend, the remaining 25 stores will, regrettably, cease trading over the course of the next two weeks with the loss of the remaining 611 jobs.”

Mike Denny, Joint Administrator, PwC, said: “Unfortunately, we have been unable to find a buyer and it is not commercially viable to continue trading the stores.

“We are working closely with the Co-op, USDAW and the relevant government agencies to ensure that all employees receive the maximum levels of practical and financial support through the redundancy process.”

The Budgens brand is owned by food wholesale company Booker and is being taken over by Tesco.

Here are the full list of closures:

Location / Closure date / Employee numbers

Aberystwyth / February 26 / 22

Blackburn / February 25 / 13

South Benfleet / February 26 / 12

Ludlow / February 26 / 27

Weoley Castle / February 26 / 26

Norwich / February 26 / 18

Dagenham (Becontree / February 26 / 17

Greenwich, London / February 26 / 22

Sydenham, London / February 26 / 22

Northumberland Heath / March 5 / 19

Watton / March 5 / 23

Buckley - Brunswick Road / March 5 / 32

Prestwick / March 5 / 35

Crewkerne - Falklands Square / March 5 / 16

Helston - The Parade / March 5 / 24

Cardigan - Lower Mwldan / March 5 / 19

Totnes - Fore Street / March 5 /19

Shaftesbury - Bell Street / March 5 / 22

Christchurch - Saxon Square / March 5 / 18

Rochford - Roche Clos / March 5 / 23

Basingstoke - Winklebury Way / March 5 / 20

Tiverton - Market Walk / March 5 / 22

Gillingham, Kent / March 9 / 37

Southall, London / March 9 / 22

Littlehampton - Wick Street / March 9 /16

Sherwood - Mansfield Road / March 9 / 24

Newport, Shropshire / March 9 / 30

New Invention, Shropshire / March 9 / 30

New Brighton / March 9 / 17

Wisbech / March 9 / 25

St Neots / March 9 / 27

Paisley / March 9 / 34

Monmouth - Oldway Centre / March 9 / 21

Weymouth - Littlemoor Road / March 9 /36