Comet has earmarked 61 stores for closure as it seeks to slash costs in a tough electricals market.

The embattled retailer, acquired by investment firm OpCapita last month for £2, is marketing a quarter of the Comet estate on a list circulated to property agents.

Comet chairman John Clare told The Times there were no plans to close shops, but the unofficial sales process will create further uncertainty for the retailer’s thousands of employees.

Clare said: “The bottom line is, we don’t want to get out of a large number of stores….[but] we would certainly, within the property department, look in depth at how many stores we have in the portfolio that we think could attract a premium.”

OpCapita’s Henry Jackson, along with Clare, is expected to meet with landlords next week to discuss Comet’s plans. It has 240 shops at present.

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