815 jobs to go as administrators shut stores

A Budgens franchisee is to close its 34 stores after administrators were unable to find a buyer.

Four West Midlands stores are affected, with staff at Ludlow, Weoley Castle, Newport and New Invention among 815 people to lose their jobs.

Food Retailer Group bought the stores from the Co-op nine months ago but poor trading forced it to appoint administrators last month.

Mike Denny, joint administrator from 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.”