FOURTEEN people are to lose their jobs in Blackburn after a national retail chain announced it was closing all its stores.

What Everyone Wants, which has a shop in Townsmoor Retail Park, Bolton Street, has failed to attract a buyer after being in administration.

The store sells bargain clothes, toys and household goods but has come under increasing pressure from competitors in the discount market.

The workers are will be employed at the store for the near future until the stock is sold, after which they will receive their statutory redundancy packages.

Prolonged negotiations with a number of interested parties both in the UK and overseas failed to find a buyer.

The job losses at the firm, based in Glasgow, were announced by joint administrator, Tom Burton, corporate restructuring partner with Ernst & Young.

He said: "We pulled out all the stops, issuing 90 sales packs to all those expressing an interest in the business, but it became increasingly apparent the prospect of selling the chain in its entirety was becoming remote.

"This left us with no option but to organise the orderly winding-down of operations and structured disposal of stock and properties.

"Even if we had been able to sell the business as a going concern, it was clear there would be a need to restructure the business and there was, therefore, no guarantee all staff and stores would be retained."

The Blackburn store is the only What Everyone Wants in East Lancashire.

The manager of the store was unavailable for comment.