Grant Thornton named as Computer Shop administrator

The owner of The Computer Shop and the Tiny and Time brands has called in Grant Thornton as its administrator. Granville Technology Group closed its 80 stores yesterday after its bankers refused to support it further and all but two of its directors left the company. Earlier reports of staff being locked in the retailers Burnley HQ have been denied by Burnley police.

Grant Thornton has confirmed that up to 1500 employees across all of the company's businesses have been laid off and that Granville Technology Group has ceased trading.

The joint administrators Andrew Hosking, Martin Ellis and Les Ross commented: 'The Group has fallen victim to the continued price deflation in the personal computer market, exacerbated by a softening of consumer demand in recent months, and pressure from suppliers. These redundancies were therefore inevitable.'