Bakery jobs may go

Some shops belonging to the high street chain shut suddenly yesterday while staff at others which were continuing to trade said they were worried about their jobs.

London-based Tenon Recovery receivers have been appointed. One Three Cooks supplier Alphameric announced last night that the firm had gone into administration and it would probably have to write off about £1million in respect of its contract with the chain.

However, Alphameric, which supplies software, hardware and servicing to Three Cooks' 150 sites nationwide, said it was in talks about continuing to provide services to the administrators and to a potential buyer.

Walsall town centre's Three Cooks in the Old Square Shopping Centre and the Wednesbury branch in King Street have both closed without any explanation.

The West Bromwich shop in Kings Square closed yesterday and contractors arrived last night to clear the premises.

Yesterday, a number of staff at the firm's head office in Solihull were told they were being made redundant.

One woman said her daughter, who had worked for the company for around 20 years, had phoned her in floods of tears. She said: "There was no indication anything like this was about to happen."

Company bosses refused to comment today but Paul Clarke, spokesman for USDAW, said: "Some members of staff have rung us today to say they have received phone calls telling them not to come to work and they have been made redundant."

Mr Clarke added: "We have had some information from our members indicating there are changes planned within the company but we have had no official notification from the company as yet."

By Emma Tate