Mixed jobs news for Littlehampton clothing stores

The clothes store, in High Street, had faced a bleak future when it was announced, last month, that its owner, the Peacocks Group, had gone into administration, after group debts spiralled to about £240m.

However, the feeling of relief is not shared by staff at the neighbouring Peacocks branch, which is still in the throes of administration.

Chris Laverty, joint administrator and restructuring partner at KPMG, said talks with potential buyers for Peacocks were still taking place.

Currently, it is unclear how many jobs, if any, could be lost at the Littlehampton branch.

Wendy Grevett, manager at Bonmarché, Littlehampton, said: “Staff are thrilled with the news that we are remaining open.”

She added that she would like to thank all the customers who supported the store.

SEU, which bought the entire Bonmarché chain apart from three shops, will continue to run 230 stores, including Littlehampton, but will close about 160, leading to 1,400 redundancies among the 3,800-strong workforce.