BARGAIN hunters took advantage of closing down sales at Woolworths stores across the county while shop workers continued to fear for their jobs.

Toys, CDs, DVDs, clothes and chocolate were all being snapped up by shoppers looking to spend on a shoestring in the run-up to Christmas.

Administrator Deloitte announced the closing down sale, which started at all 813 stores yesterday including those in Worcester’s High Street and Malvern’s Church Street, in a bid to make Woolworths a more attractive proposition for buyers. But some stores could close by the end of the month if no offers for the business emerge leaving 20 jobs at Malvern hanging in the balance. It is not known how many jobs could be affected in Worcester.

One of those shoppers looking to take advantage of the closing down sale, with up to 50 per cent off on some items, was Joanna Wright, aged 27, of Worcester, who said: “I’ve saved a bit of money on a few presents for the kids but it’s a shame it’s come to this.”

In Malvern, shoppers said the prospect of the town’s Woolworths closing was sad. Marcus Bray said he thought it would have a detrimental effect on trade.

“Town’s going to be dead,” he said. “Without Woolworths you won’t have Great Malvern.”

Anthony Collis, Malvern’s town centre co-ordinator and director of High Street Malvern, said Woolworths would be “a hard act to replace” if it closes down but said he was confident the space could be filled.

“There are people looking at that site although it is too early to say who,” he said.

Deloitte’s reorganisation services partner Neville Kahn said he was making “every effort” to convert interest in Woolworths into firm offers.

“While we are still seeking bids from interested parties, Christmas is the busiest time of the year for retailers and it is prudent to do all we can to sell existing stock,” he said. “By moving to a store closing sale and discounting stock we are maximising the sales potential that this period offers.”

Deloitte has already cut 450 jobs at Woolworths’ head office and support operations in London and Castleton, Rochdale.

It has held talks with former Woolworths chief executive Sir Geoff Mulcahy and Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis, but no deals have been struck so far.

The complexity of the group’s leases and difficulty in restocking the business after Christmas have reportedly put off interested parties.

Rival retailers are understood to be interested in buying hundreds of store leases – including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Iceland – as many of the group’s outlets have planning permission to sell food. Some employees could therefore find jobs with the new owners.