October 2, 2012 8.35 am This story is over 137 months old

Lincoln JJB Sports store closed in administration

Job losses: National retailer JJB Sports entered administration Monday, resulting in 16 redundancies at the St Mark’s branch.

The Lincoln branch of JJB Sports in St Mark’s shopping centre has been closed following the company’s collapse, resulting in 16 local job losses.

Lincolnshire stores in both Boston and Grimsby have also ceased trading. 

A total of 133 shops across the country traded for the last time on Monday, October 1, leading to a total of over 2,000 job losses.

The national sports retailer, once the biggest in Britain, appointed administrators KPMG last week to find a suitable buyer for its assets.

Rival retailer Sports Direct saved 20 JJB stores from closure, none of which in Lincolnshire, by buying them along with existing stock and the Slazenger Golf brand for £23.77 million.

Richard Fleming, KPMG’s UK Head of Restructuring confirmed that various attempts to save the troubled business had “not been enough to prevent the company falling into administration”.

He added: “Unfortunately a buyer could only be found for 20 stores on a going concern basis. All staff made redundant as a result of store closures have had their arrears of wages and holiday entitlements paid in full. ”

A 24-hour helpline has been put in place for affected JJB Sports employees on 0845 3022 538.

Related Reports: The Guardian | Retail Week