(Adds Strategic Retail businesses)
Dec 15 (Reuters) - UK retailers, a sector employing 11 percent of the workforce and contributing 8 percent of GDP, are experiencing the most difficult trading environment for years as house prices crumble and jobs are axed.
The following is a round-up of some of the companies that have been put into administration since the credit crunch started, with the homewares sector particularly hard hit.
Government statistics from the Insolvency Service show 53 retailers in England and Wales have gone into administration in the third quarter of 2008, compared with 41 in the same period last year. COMPANY RIC DATE SECTOR EMPLOYEES STORES TURNOVER
(APPROX) (STERLING) Fads Dec 12 home n/a 32 9.1 million Leveys furnishings 12 3.8 million Texstyle World 6 6.4 million The Pier (unlisted) Dec 4 furniture 400 48 n/a Woolworths Nov 27 general 25,000 815 1.7 bln (ret)
5,000 *1.1 bln (EUK) MFI Group Ltd (unlisted) Nov 26 furniture 1,200 111 n/a Hardy Amies Sept 26 fashion n/a 6 1.64 million Rosebys (unlisted) Sep 25 furnishings 2,000 280 100 million ScS Upholstery Jul 3 sofa maker 1,300 96 184 million Sources: Reuters data, British Retail Consortium, Insolvency Service, company websites. * Entertainment UK is the Woolworths distribution business, which along with its retail chain is in administration.
(Compiled by Elaine Hardcastle; Editing by Andrew Macdonald)