THE FIRM overseeing the break up of the collapsed Allders chain is in talks with unnamed buyers for the Southampton branch.

The 42 remaining staff at the store will be boosted by the news that there is interest in it being run as a going concern.

Already nine workers have lost their jobs at the Winchester Road branch.

It's a bleak future for 11 of the 45-strong former Allders chain, which are on the shelf with no potential purchasers expressing any interest.

Retail rivals Bhs, Primark and Debenhams, snapped up 24 stores last week, including Portsmouth's store, which is now set to become a branch of Debenhams, safeguarding 2,000 UK jobs.

Allders collapsed earlier this year due to £150m debts.

A spokesman for the administrators Kroll refused to disclose the names of the companies in negotiations over the store, saying their privacy had to be respected until a deal had been finalised.

There is no date for when a deal may be tied up, but Kroll are known to be keen to move the process along.

Members of the stricken Allders pension fund have written to pensions minister Malcolm Wicks, asking him to make sure their pensions are protected by the new Pensions Protection Fund, rather than the Financial Assistance Scheme.

The scheme, which needs £58m to cover its liabilities when it is wound up is still receiving contributions from Kroll to the tune of £58,150 a month.

The move enables the fund to continue until the April 6 start time for the PPF.

The PPF offers 100 per cent of their pension and 90 per cent of the benefits, up to £25,000, as opposed to the likely £12,000 a year limit of the FAS.

Staff have set up a website, www.alldersreunited.com, so that they can keep former employees abreast of their fight to retain their pensions.

The new website, which is backed by former directors of Allders, has chat boards and will update workers and pensioners on the latest news.