Bargain Booze and Conviviality have entered administration following brewer C&C’s acquisition of the company’s on-trade divisions.

The move leaves Conviviality’s retail side adrift and without a buyer, with some centrally-managed Bargain Booze stores closing and availability dropping to 70%. Some franchisees told Retail Express that they have already began moving to rival symbol groups or going unaffiliated.

The Bargain Booze website has been taken off line and previously published financial information has been removed from the Conviviality website.

C&C, which owns brands such as Magners cider and Tennents lager, acquired Conviviality’s on-trade divisions for just £1, with rival brews AB InBev providing additional funding to help C&C pay off more than £100m in debt owed by the divisions.

Conviviality was the UK’s biggest alcohol wholesaler. It recently announced that it had failed to raise the £125m of investment needed to continue trading after financial irregularities were discovered.

A staff member at a centrally-managed store ordered to shut said: “As we were closing up, we received a phone call telling us to pack the stock up, and go home because the store was shutting down.” Retail Express has seen evidence confirming the store closure.

Bargain Booze HQ denied the closure stating stores were “operating as usual.”

While some franchisees said they would be sticking with Bargain Booze, others told Retail Express they are looking to switch fascia. “I personally know of 20 franchisees who will be leaving,” said one store owner.

Paul Walker, who owns 13 Bargain Booze stores in the North West, told Retail Express that it was “business as usual” in his stores and that he would be sticking with the fascia.

Read more: How Bargain Booze franchises and staff reacted to Conviviality's collapse