Hope still remains for embattled budget retailer Wilko, after Wednesday's deadline for bids to buy the firm came and went.
According to reports, rivals Poundland, B&M, Primark and Home Bargains are among the firms in talks with administrator PwC to take on parts of Wilko’s business.
Some 12,000 jobs hang in the balance as the future of Wilko’s 400 stores remains uncertain.
However, several bidders are said to have moved to purchase between 40 and 50 Wilko stores each, sources have told The Sun, with offers for as many as 300 of the shops supposedly having been made.
GMB Union national secretary Andy Prendergast reassured that there was still hope for the chain and its workers, which fell into administration last week.
Analysts, meanwhile, have tipped that a full takeover is unlikely, with different chunks of the company’s store portfolio anticipated to change hands instead.
Whether any solid offers have been made remains to be seen, with Wednesday marking the deadline before any prospective bids are considered and taken to a second round of the process on Friday.