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Woolworths sale biggest ever

12.12.08 | Anna Richardson

Woolworths saw its biggest-ever day's trading yesterday (Thursday) after administrator Deloitte launched a closing-down sale across the 800-store chain.

There were queues hundreds deep outside dozens of stores prior to opening and some branches were forced to close early due to empty shelves. A source close to Deloitte said the chain had seen its strongest sales day ever, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Woolworths' 30,000 staff have been told that they could be out of work before the end of December if buyers for their stores are not found. Hundreds of Woolworths outlets are already under offer to third-party retailers such as Wilkinson and Iceland. However, separate approaches to save Woolworths as a going concern look less likely to succeed.

David Buchler, the former Tottenham Hotspur vice-chairman, and Sir Geoff Mulcahy, the former chief executive of Woolworths' one-time parent Kingfisher, have approached Deloitte about acquiring hundreds of Woolworths stores to run them as a going concern.

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