A failed Sussex book chain has been sold to a high street rival.

Twenty two British Bookshops & Stationers stores have been sold to W H Smith High Street for £1.05m in cash. No stock has been purchased.

The stores will continue to trade under the British Bookshops brand, with the new owners undertaking a phased take over programme starting on the February 22 with shops in Teddington and Southwick.

About 200 workers at relevant stores will transfer across as a result of the sale.

The stores that W H Smith has acquired in Sussex are:

  • Bexhill
  • Bognor
  • Brighton (London Rd)
  • Brighton (Western Rd)
  • Chichester
  • Crowborough
  • Eastbourne
  • Hailsham
  • Hove
  • Lancing
  • Lewes
  • Littlehampton
  • Rustington
  • Seaford
  • Shoreham
  • Southwick
  • Uckfield

Simon Appell, Fraser Gray, and Stuart Mackellar, Partners at recovery specialists Zolfo Cooper, were appointed joint administrators of British Bookshops and Stationers Limited on January 13.

Simon Appell, partner at Zolfo Cooper said: “We are pleased to have been able to safeguard the iconic British Bookshops & Stationers brand through the sale of twenty two stores. We would like to thank all staff across the business for their continued professionalism during this difficult period and wish British Bookshops & Stationers all the best moving forwards.”

Michael Chowen, who launched the brand in 1971, said: “I am thrilled that these stores have been bought and that the British Bookshops name will go forward. W H Smith is a first-rate company and Kate Swann is a first-rate chief executive.”

The administrators are still pursuing other options for the remaining stores. The stores in Sussex that remain unsold are:

  • Burgess Hill
  • Crawley
  • East Grinstead
  • Haywards Heath
  • Horsham
  • Worthing