Zavvi shuts music megastore in Piccadilly

FAILED music chain Zavvi closed its flagship store in Piccadilly Circus today with the loss of 110 jobs.

The enormous site was formerly owned by US company Tower Records, which collapsed in 2006 after pioneering the music megastore in Britain. The store was then taken over by Virgin and sold to Zavvi in September 2007.

Zavvi called in administrators Ernst & Young on Christmas Eve. They have been forced to close 18 stores across the UK with a total of 353 redundancies because a buyer could not be found to take on the entire chain of 92 outlets. Shops in Watford and Romford are among those axed. Zavvi's remaining 74 stores will continue trading and it is hoped some or all of them can be sold as a package to protect their future.

More than 100 Zavvi staff were turned away from the Piccadilly store when they arrived for work this morning.

One of the managers, who gave his name as David, said: "They have really let me down. I have got kids and a mortgage, so what am I meant to do now?"