UP to 50 jobs are hanging in the balance at the Bolton Woolworths store as last-ditch talks to save the ailing company take place.

Administrators Deloitte are still taking stock of the chain store which dramatically collapsed this week after banks pulled the plug.

Despite the financial turmoil, shoppers packed the aisles of the town’s Deansgate store yesterday.

And staff were optimistic that a buyer would be found, with one assistant saying all staff were working hard and hoping their jobs would be saved.

Administrators are keeping all 813 stores open until just after Christmas, giving potential buyers time to examine the books.

Retailer Iceland yesterday confirmed its interest in buying the stores.

Deloitte has received approaches from a number of parties about the retail chain and the firm’s EUK wholesaling arm.

Deloitte was appointed as administrators earlier this week after Hilco, the restructuring specialist, failed in its bid to buy Woolworths’ stores for £1 and assume a major share of its £385 million borrowing facility.

Woolworths, which opened its first UK store in Liverpool in 1909, saw made pre-tax losses of almost £100 million during the six months to the beginning of August.