Uncertain Christmas for staff at stores in Alnwick and Berwick as administrators brought in at clothing chain M&Co

The department store, which has branches in Alnwick and Berwick, brought in financial advisory firm Teneo on Friday, December 9.

The company, which used to be known as Mackays, currently employs a total of 1,910 staff with 170 shops across the UK.

It last collapsed in 2020, but assets were immediately bought back by the family that built it up.

Teneo has announced that no immediate redundancies are to be made and M&Co will continue to trade while the administrators explore a potential sale of the business.

The company has warned customers that they are currently unable to give cash refunds and that loyalty cards and reward vouchers will also not be accepted.

A company spokesperson said: “We hope that you will all appreciate this is also a difficult time for staff working in the stores and we ask for respect and understanding when raising an issue.”

Gavin Park, one of the joint administrators, said M&Co had experienced a sharp rise in costs which had coincided with a “decline in customer confidence, leading to trading challenges”.

He added: “Despite a very loyal customer base, particularly in local markets, and a well-recognised brand, the current economic outlook has placed increasing pressure on the company’s cash position.”