Shoe chain Barratts has entered administration for the second time in two years, putting nearly 4,000 jobs at risk, as the UK's retail slump claims a major casualty.
Deloitte has been appointed to run the group after it became clear that it would be unable to pay this month's rent. The company operates 191 stores and 371 concessions across the UK.
A number of retailers, including Blacks Leisure and JJB Sports, have skirted close to administration, agreeing to close large numbers of stores through company voluntary arrangements (CVAs), as homeware, electrical and clothing stores have been hit by weak sales.
On Tuesday, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said that November sales growth was the slowest for six months ahead of the vitally important Christmas shopping period.
The retail sector is clearly flagging, analysts said, and shops may need to kick off festive discounts early in order to try to drive sales.
"There’s a worrying lack of cheer in these figures," BRC director general Stephen Robertson said on Tuesday. "The weakest increase in sales for six months suggests consumers are keeping a tight rein on their spending, despite Christmas being so near."
Tesco, the UK's biggest supermarket and one of its largest employers, reported a fourth consecutive quarter of falling sales despite a major discounting campaign, the "Big Price Drop", which cut prices of 3,000 products. The results show that consumers are cutting back on even essential purchases.