ADMINISTRATORS have confirmed that Ellesmere Port’s Ethel Austin store will close in the next three to four weeks.

A total of 81 shops will be axed with 696 jobs likely to be made redundant. Around half-a-dozen staff work at the Rivington Road store.

A number of Au Naturale outlets, which is the sister company of the troubled value clothing retailer, are included in that number.

The Au Naturale store on The Coliseum had already been axed.

Geoff Bouchier, joint administrator and partner of MCR, said: “It is a difficult retail climate and until such time as any sale of the businesses can be completed, cost-cutting measures need to be taken to allow the businesses to trade on in the short term.

“There are still opportunities for a purchaser of the businesses to come forward.”

MCR also confirmed that there will be a further 56 redundancies at the head offices in Knowsley, Merseyside.

This comes on top of the 65 positions previously axed, as well as the 404 redundancies at the distribution centre.

Last month, the Rivington Road store was given a temporary reprieve by administrators.

They opted not to axe it during the first round of cuts, which saw the closure of 129 Ethel Austin and Au Naturale shops, because it was not identified as one of the ‘loss-making’ stores.

Administrators were hoping to find a buyer for the remaining stores but no deal has materialised.

Back in 2008, the Port store faced closure when the retailer last plunged into administration.

However, following a number of shop closures and redundancies, former joint-owner of clothing chain MK One, Elaine McPherson, bought the company saving 2,500 jobs.