Prime Minister Gordon Brown has pledged that the government will work hard to ensure that struggling high street store, Woolworths, will remain open over the Christmas period.

He also told reporters that plans were being discussed so as to ensure that employees currently threatened with redundancy will be helped to find more work in the future.

This comes shortly after the most recent blow that the chain of stores has had to deal with recently, as lottery operator Camelot stopped selling tickets to stores.

Camelot declares its decision to suspend trading with Woolworths will become effective immediately, “pending the company finding a satisfactory resolution to its current trading difficulties.”

This means that Woolworths will no longer be selling National Lottery Tickets, scratchcards or process prize claims.

The chain will now be staying open until after Christmas, but there is still concern for the 30,000 employees that the chain currently employs.

The Prime Minister has said that: “the important thing is in the long-run that employees in this company – where the businesses and the shops are not going to stay open in the longer term – can get other jobs quickly.

“That’s why we’re going to move in immediately to give advice to employees in the company.”

Deloitte, the accountancy firm that has been appointed the administrator for the high street chain, has said that it is searching for a suitable buyer for the stores.

Dan Butters from the administrator said that: “In the last 24 hours, we have received expressions of interest from a number of parties for both the retail and wholesale businesses.”

The company did try to sell itself to restructuring firm Hilco, which would have taken the firms debt, but this deal fell through.

Deloitte has promised that though things are bad, it promises that employees will get paid.

Currently, Woolworths has 815 stores and four distribution centres, which employ around 25.000 people. It also owns Entertainment UK, which supplies DVDs to supermarkets across the country, and employs around 5,000 people.

2 Entertain is currently jointly owned by Woolworths and BBC Worldwide. Woolworths is currently trying to sell its 40% stake in this venture to BBC Worldwide.

Woolworths is just one of a few high street stores currently struggling, and analysts predict that worse is to come.

An analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers has said: “the eye of the storm has moves in from the banks to the retailers.”

Other struggling stores include: MFI, who have also gone into administration.

Computer and Technology outlets, Currie, and PC World DSG International are blaming “tough and volatile” trading environments for their “29.8 million half year loss.

Kingfisher has also claimed that their profits at B&Q had fallen 9%.

Some fear that the ending of Woolworths could spark a price war if administrators try to cut prices in order to move the company’s stock, which could then lead to worse problems for smaller, weaker competing stores.

The Woolworths chain is currently struggling under its £385 million debt.

Its biggest problems started after having to pay cash for goods from suppliers, after trade credit insurers were no longer prepared to insure the suppliers to Woolworths.