Branches of Paperchase in Altrincham and the Trafford Centre could close after Tesco agreed to take over the retailer – but not its shops or its workers.

The stationer called in the administrators last week due to soaring costs and struggling sales, before the supermarket stepped in to purchase the brand and its intellectual property.

Given the takeover does not include the shops or the workers, the former are expected to close and the latter are expected to see imminent redundancy.

Branches of Paperchase in the Stamford Quarter and at a concession within the Trafford Centre are understood to be affected, as are more than 100 other branches across the UK.

But these are still remaining open and trading 'in the short term', with all customers encouraged to use gift cards within two weeks of the announcement on the last day of January.

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In a statement ahead of the takeover, administrators Begbies Traynor said: "Mark Fry, Kirstie Provan and Gary Shankland, of Begbies Traynor, were appointed as joint administrators of Aspen Phoenix Newco Ltd, which trades as Paperchase.

"Unfortunately, despite a comprehensive sales process, no viable offers were received for the company, or its business and assets, on a going concern basis. However, there has been significant interest in the brand and its intellectual property.

"The joint administrators will continue trading the company’s operations in the short term, with all stores remaining open and trading as normal."

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And after the takeover, Tesco's managing director of home and clothing Jan Marchant said: "Paperchase is a well-loved brand by so many and we’re proud to bring it to Tesco stores across the UK.

"We've been building our plans to bring more brands and inspiration to the ranges we currently offer and this will help us to take those plans further.

"We look forward to sharing more with our customers in due course."

This article was written by Jack Tooth. Jack is the reporter for The Messenger and covers anything and everything from within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford.

To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.