Interest in troubled Woolworths

The administrators of ailing retailer Woolworths say "a number of parties" have expressed an interested in buying the troubled business.

Deloitte said they would be looking for a "suitable buyer for all parts of the business".

Deloitte said it had received interest from "a number of parties" for both the retail arm and the firm's E.UK wholesaling operation in the past 24 hours.

The collapse of Woolworths has thrown uncertainty over the future of the retailer's 30,000 staff.

Woolworths' 813 stores account for the lion's share of the group's staff, with around 25,000 employees. But Deloitte said the 99-year-old retailer will be kept open for business.

Meanwhile, the owner of Currys and PC World continued a grim week for the high street's biggest names after plunging almost £30 million into the red.

DSG International posted underlying losses of £29.8 million in the 24 weeks to October 18 - compared with a £52.4 million profit the previous year. The firm warned of a "tough and volatile" retail climate as like-for-like sales across the group fell 7% over the period.