SALES will be held at troubled department High Street store TJ Hughes as the administrators try to clear stock.

TJ Hughes, which has a large branch in Southend High Street at the former Woolworths site, announced last week it had gone into administration.

It has been trading in Southend for less than a year and splashed out £3million converting the former Woolworths store before its grand opening last August.

Tom Jack and Simon Allport from accountancy giants Ernst & Young were appointed as administrators to find a buyer for the Liverpool-based company.

All 57 TJ Hughes branches across the country are remaining open as the administrators try to find a buyer for the company, which employs more than 4,000 staff.

Last Thursday, the administrators announced the appointment of retail consultants GA Europe to help sell stock, and said promotional sales will start straight away. Mr Jack said: “We are already in discussions with over 30 interested parties and we are encouraged by the strong level of interest in the business and its portfolio of 57 stores.

“However, there are significant stock levels and we therefore must ensure we are also pursuing a strategy to trade this stock through the business, in case we cannot find buyers for all of the company’s stores and employees.

“Promotional activity will therefore commence immediately in all TJ Hughes stores.”

It is unclear how many staff TJ Hughes currently employs at the Southend branch, although the company promised to create 100 jobs when it opened.

Nobody at the Southend store wished to comment when asked by the Echo.