AN Evesham town centre store was closed yesterday as one of the country's biggest electrical chains went into administration.

It was one of 50 branches of Powerhouse which were shut down with the loss of around 650 jobs.

It is believed that at least three full-time members of staff and a handful of part-time staff have been made redundant from the Evesham store following the announcement.

The administrators, BDO Stoy Hayward, will be working towards securing a sale of the chain, based in Bicester, Oxfordshire, as a going concern.

The move came after PRG, its New Zealand-based owner, withdrew financial support for the loss-making chain. PRG bought Powerhouse for £16m in 2003, after the then 223-strong chain entered administrative receivership.

PRG said in May that it hoped to guide Powerhouse to break-even in 2006. The retailer made a pre-tax loss of £1m in the last three months of 2005, and had been closing underperforming stores.

Retail union Usdaw, the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, has pledged to support its Powerhouse members after they were given the shock news.

Usdaw members were sent home with a package outlining their redundancy terms. "Our members in Powerhouse have worked miracles in keeping Powerhouse afloat in the intensely competitive electrical goods sector," said Usdaw General Secretary John Hannett.

"They turned up for work to be told the company has gone into administration and some have already been sent home which is a devastating blow for them.

"Our members have shown incredible loyalty to Powerhouse in often difficult times so they deserved better treatment than this.

But Usdaw will work closely with the administrators to makes sure our members get the payouts they are entitled to at what is a very worrying time for them."

Customers who have made recent purchases are urged to call the helpline number on 0845 6034037.