by business editor Trevor Sturgess

More than 50 people have been lost their jobs at Allied Carpet stores across Kent.

It follows a decision by administrators BDO Stoy Hayward to formally close the stores in Ashford, Bromley, Canterbury, Margate, Dartford, Folkestone, Maidstone, Orpington and Tunbridge Wells - as part of 142 closures across the UK.

Staff were told they were being made redundant yesterday according to a BDO spokesman.

The store in Gillingham has been saved after being sold to Allied Carpets Retail Limited, and the administrators say they continue to fulfil outstanding customer orders.

"We remain confident that all outstanding orders will be met. Upon appointment there were some 21,000 pieces of unfulfilled business for which deposits had been taken. We have completed almost 16,000 of these to date," said Dermot Power, from BDO.

Allied Carpets - which has its headquarters in Sidcup - went into administration in July. Mr Power said continuing weakness in the housing market was behind its collapse. “The particular struggle of retail businesses in the current economic climate and the stagnation of the housing market have played their part and made potential investors nervous.

"Although we had a strong level of initial interest in the portfolio, the common concern has been around lack of visibility of future turnover," added Mr Power. He said other carpet firms had been nervous of taking over the Allied sites given the state of the economy.

He also held out some hope there may be a future for the closed stores, but not necessarily for selling carpets. "Although the stores are closed, we are still in negotiations with a number of interested parties. We are also continuing to discuss a change of use acquisition as well as options with some single site acquirers."