THE joint administrators for Blockbuster have announced that 129 stores will close over the coming weeks, but the two in Basingstoke are not included on the list.
Earlier this week the DVD rental chain went into administration, putting 4,200 jobs at risk in 528 stores. But the branches at Hatch Warren and Chineham will remain open for now while administrators continue to review the probability of the store portfolio.
A statement released this morning said “further closures may be made in coming weeks.”
It added: “Stores will remain open for business as usual and customers will be notified in advance of closure so that they can return their outstanding rental items beforehand.”
Lee Manning, joint administrator, said: “The store closure plan is an inevitable consequence of having to restructure the company to a profitable core which is capable of being sold. We would like to thank the company’s employees for their support and professionalism during this difficult time. We are also grateful to the customers for their continued support.”
Blockbuster became the third casualty on the high street in January, following Jessops, which closed all of its stores, including one in The Malls, Basingstoke, and HMV, which went into administration.
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