NINE jobs have been lost as a retail chain faces up to life in administration.

Four workers at the Vergo at Home store, in Peartree Road, Stanway, were laid off without notice or compensation after administrator MCR took over running Vergo Retail.

Five staff have also been laid off from its Colchester town centre store.

One of the former employees, who did not want to be named, condemned “appalling” treatment from management.

“We were working as normal when we got called to an office individually and told we were made redundant and to leave,” he said.

“I’ve worked there for four years and just got kicked in the teeth like that. I’ll be signing on while I look for another job, but it’s not a great market to be looking in.

“They’ve kept five employees on and they’re keeping it going with a skeleton staff while they try to sell all the stock off.”

The East of England Co-operative Society sold its department stores to Vergo last July, but the firm found trading conditions difficult and went into administration earlier in the month.

The ex-worker said he felt “betrayed” by the Co-op and that it should have “taken more care in selling them to a viable buyer”.

The administrator has announced the Jewellery Store, in Eld Lane, Colchester, and department stores in Clacton, Dovercourt and Witham are closing.