Blockbuster store set to close

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BLOCKBUSTER in Redditch is set to close its doors along with 128 other stores in the crisis-hit DVD and video game rental chain.

The Trafford Park store has been named among the latest list of Blockbuster outlets that will shut after the company went into administration earlier this week.

Adminstrators Deloitte LLP could not confirm exactly how many jobs would be lost at the Redditch store but said each Blockbuster employed on average about five staff.

The latest list is in addition to the 31 that were put on notice of closure earlier this week.

The closures will be phased over the coming weeks but the administrators have warned further stores may be at risk in the coming weeks.

A dedicated employee helpline is in place and the company is running an employee assistance programme to help those staff facing redundancy find other jobs.

A spokesman for Deloitte LLP said stores would remain open for business as usual and customers would be notified in advance of closure so that they could return their outstanding rental items beforehand.

The standard terms and conditions remain in place during this time.

Lee Manning, joint administrator at Deloitte LLP, added: “Having reviewed the portfolio with management, 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.”

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