ADMINISTRATORS have announced that two Poundworld stores in Bolton will close resulting in 22 job losses.

The shops in Back Spring Gardens in Bolton town centre and Breightmet will be shut over the weekend of July 21.

It follows the recently announced closure of the store at Middlebrook and only one Poundworld will remain in Bolton, which will be the unit at Central Retail Park.

Deloitte, which is overseeing the process, has struggled to sell the business as a whole but said the latest raft of closures will not affect a potential deal for the remaining business.

The administrator said discussions with interested parties are ongoing and "will continue to progress" over the coming days.

Poundworld, which was formerly owned by private equity firm TPG Capital, had been operating with 335 stores and around 5,100 staff before it went bust last month.

Joint administrator Clare Boardman said: "Whilst we remain hopeful that a sale for part, or parts, of the business can still happen, it has not been possible to sell the business as a whole.

"We would like to thank all the employees for their continued support and commitment during this difficult time.

"We are keeping staff appraised of developments as they happen."

Deloitte's discussions with interested parties have also involved the future of Poundworld's distribution centre and head office in Normanton, West Yorkshire, where 100 people have already been made redundant.

Deloitte has turned down a bid for Poundworld from its founder, Chris Edwards, who was looking to save a raft of stores and safeguard around 3,000 jobs.