Co-op department store Living in Basildon town centre is to close and all 59 staff to lose their jobs.

Owner Co-operative Retail Services is selling all 40 of its Living stores nationwide so it can focus on its food and funeral businesses.

Basildon Living will continue to trade for the next three months but will close in July.

The stores have been sold to property firm Miller Developments which will refurbish and modernise the outlets before selling them on.

Basildon Living, in the heart of the town centre, has several floors selling furniture, jewellery, clothing and also has a very popular restaurant.

A spokesman for Miller said ten of the shops had been sold to clothing and home furnishings traders Primark, but could not confirm if Basildon was one of these.

Primark already has a Basildon outlet opposite the Living store. A spokesman for Co-operative Retail Services, (CRS) said: "Miller has not taken up the staff as part of the deal. Job counselling and advice will be given to all employees and we are in consultations with the trade unions."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.