Telford's Office Outlet store to stay open as 16 stores axed
Shropshire's only Office Outlet store in Telford has avoided the axe.
The chain, which formerly traded as Staples, is to close 16 stores in April, resulting in 161 job losses.
But the Telford store, on Rampart Way, is set to remain open.
The company went into administration in March and is seeking a new owner. It currently has 90 stores in the UK.
Two partners at business services firm Deloitte have been appointed joint administrators.
The administrators said the chain had suffered as demand for stationery supplies had continued to fall and its suppliers cut the credit terms on which it trades.
Joint administrator Richard Hawes said: "The company has recently experienced a reduction in credit from key suppliers, given the economic outlook which has severely impacted the financial position of the company."
But he went on to say he was hopeful that a buyer could be found and that the business would carry on trading "with that in mind".
Office Outlet ran into difficulty last August, when it arranged to close a number of stores under a form of insolvency called a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA).
The affected locations are: Beckton, Catterick, Gloucester, Newport (Isle of Wight), Merton, Newcastle, Plymouth, Staples Corner, Stratford, Cardiff, Carlisle, Manchester, Old Kent Road, Southampton, Walsall, and Weston Super Mare.
