Shop Direct is considering buying the brand and website of ailing electricals retailer Comet, which collapsed into administration last week.

Shop Direct, owned by Sir Frederick and Sir David Barclay, bought the Woolworths brand from Deloitte in 2009 and relaunched the business online.

A Shop Direct spokesman said yesterday: “We are always looking at new opportunities,” but he declined to comment on Comet, The Independent reported.

Value retailers such as B&M Bargains, 99p Stores, Poundland, Home Bargains and Dunelm, are eyeing Comet’s stores, looking to buy them on short and long-term leases from administrator Deloitte. Pets at Home, Waitrose and Aldi are also thought to have registered interest in the stores.

Dixons and Maplin are understood to be in talks to take on some of Comet’s workforce.

The 236-store retailer fell into administration almost a year after OpCapita bought the business for £2.

Yesterday, Comet launched a Clearance Sale with the majority of discounts around 10% off. The sale is running in stores only and not online. GA Europe, the retail restructuring company, is leading the stock clearance.

Deloitte is poised to start closing some of Comet’s stores next week, which will result in redundancies among the retailer’s 6,600 staff.

Topics