Northern off licence chain goes into administration

An independent wine and convenience store chain, Wine Cellar, has gone into administration. The family owned company was based in the north of England and owned 170 off licence and convenience stores under the brands Booze Buster, Simply Drinks and Simply Food and Drinks. 109 of the retail outlets have been sold to Walsall-based drinks distributor EFB Retail. The sale secures around 640 jobs and 60 staff from head office. The 61 remaining stores have stopped trading with 320 employees made redundant.