One of the Island’s biggest high street stores has been hit by the financial crisis.

Administrators have been called in to see whether any of the country’s Woolworths stores can be saved, but many closures seem inevitable.

Woolworths in High Street, Sheerness, employs 32 people, all of whom could lose their jobs if the store was to close.

The situation has been blamed on competition from supermarkets which sell similar goods at cheaper prices, and the rise of shopping for entertainment online.

If the store was to close, it would come as a major blow to many shoppers in Sheppey who regularly use the store, not just in the run-up to Christmas, but all year round.

Joy Woolley, from Sheerness, said: “It’s dreadful, very sad – it’s the end of an era.

“I can’t imagine Sheerness without Woolworths, I shop there a lot – grandchildren’s clothes, cards, everything.

“Fight for Woolworths. I hope we can keep it.”

A Woolworths spokesman said: “All stores are trading as normal and will do so throughout Christmas. “It is too early to give any indication of the future of any stores or staff.”