All Woolworths stores to close by January 5

Closing down signage will start appearing between now and the end of the week.

Deloitte said 300-plus stores are under offer to other retailers. But it also said there is still interest in buying parts of the business and in the Woolworths, Worth It, Ladybird and Chad Valley brands.

New stock is still arriving and the stores are being replenished with over 50 million items this week, the administrator.

Last Thursday the retailer had a record day in terms of takings.

Administrator Neville Kahn said that Deloitte never got very close to securing selling the business as a going concern, but did say he believes the Woolworths brand will survive.

"I think it will come back onto the high street at some point," he said.

The current Woolies sale is discounting stock at between 20-60 per cent. This discount will get deeper as the stores near their closing dates.

Kahn said there was "considerable interest" for the remaining 500 stores.

All 27,000 store staff will be paid up until the end of the year, as well as 500 staff in the distribution centres.

He would not comment on whether the Government had recently intervened in the situation.

Kahn said there was no guarantee that Woolworths' retail arm and EUK's 500 suppliers would get paid.

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