HUNDREDS of jobs across south Essex could go if more well-known high street names go out of business.

The TJ Hughes, Thorntons and Carpetright chains all have local branches and gave announced looming administration or store closures in the coming weeks.

Fashion chain Jane Norman and home furnishing company Habitat have already gone into into administration this week.

Now TJ Hughes has announced plans to appoint an administrator in the next ten days, raising the danger of job losses in Southend, where it opened a new branch less than a year ago.

The company spent £3million converting the former High Street Woolworths building into a department store.

Dawn Jeakings, chairman of the Southend town centre partnership, said: “Any empty shop is not good, but one of that size would make a considerable impact.

“Retail is feeling very sorry for itself at the moment and there is not a lot of good news going round.

“It is the staff I feel most sorry for, as there is a lot of uncertainty in these situations.

“Having said that, administration is not the end and there is every chance someone may come forward to buy the company and turn it around. We have to be positive.”

Chocolate-maker Thorntons and flooring firm Carpetright, each have branches in both Basildon and Southend, and have announced plans to close dozens of shops across the country.

However, Denise Rossiter, chief executive of the Essex Chamber of Commerce, urged shoppers and retailers to remain upbeat.

She explained: “It is not all doom and gloom. We have to look at the positive side of this, which is both companies are making efforts to deal with the situation they find themselves in.

“Obviously it is concerning, but they are doing the best they can.”

Nothing has been said so far about the future of Thorntons’ shops, in the Eastgate Centre, Basildon, and Southend High Street, of Carpetright’s three local branches, in the Eastgate Centre, at Southend Airport Retail Park and and on Rayleigh Weir Retail Park.

However, Thorntons has said it must close 120 branches over the next three years, with a further 60 also in question.

Carpetright has announced plans to close some of its 559 shops, after reporting a 70 per cent slide in yearly profits.