Courts may be broken up

Courts may be broken up, following the appointment of surveyors Leslie Furness to evaluate the retailer's 68 out of town and 24 high street units. Courts administrator KPMG has received a number of offers for the retailer, which will be disclosed to its creditors later this week. However, Leslie Furness said it has also received a number of offers for individual units and packages.

The retailer owns the freehold on six high street stores. LF joint managing director Tim Hance expects to receive considerable interest from investors for these locations.

He said: 'I have been overwhelmed by the interest from landlords in taking surrenders to exploit break up or re-letting opportunities and retailers who clearly appreciate the rare opportunity they have been offered to acquire prime retail warehouses.'