Beales goes into administration with 22 stores and 1,300 jobs at risk

Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

The department store chain Beales has gone into administration, threatening 1,300 jobs in the latest blow to the UK high street.

Accountancy firm KPMG has been appointed as administrator to the 22-shop chain and will field any last-ditch offers for the company or any of its assets.

Beales is expected to continue trading in the short term but its website was offline on Monday morning.

The company had reported increased losses of £3.1m last year and has failed to secure either rent reductions to reduce its costs, or find a buyer to rescue the business, which was founded in Bournemouth.

Beales stores

• Beccles

• Bedford

• Bournemouth

• Chipping Norton

• Diss

• Fareham

• Hexham

• Keighley

• Kendal

• Lowestoft

• Mansfield

• Perth

• Peterborough

• Poole

• Skegness

• Southport

• Spalding

• St Neots

• Tonbridge

• Wisbech

• Worthing

• Yeovil