UK games and entertainment retail chain Zavvi will be gone from the high street by the end of this week.

The group’s administrators,‭ ‬Ernst‭ & ‬Young,‭ ‬have confirmed that‭ ‬466‭ ‬jobs will be lost as all remaining outlets are set to close by Feb‭ ‬20.

Zavvi‭ – ‬once the UK's largest independent retailer of games,‭ ‬music and film goods‭ – ‬fell into administration on Christmas Eve last year.‭ ‬The retailer’s demise was largely a knock-on effect from the‭ ‬fall of Woolworths and its wholesale distributor EUK.‭

‬Ever since EUK fell into administration late in November‭ (‬before‭ ‬officially closing in mid-December‭)‬,‭ ‬Zavvi has experienced difficulties in securing stock.‭ ‬Simon Douglas,‭ ‬founder of the retailer,‭ ‬said at the time:‭ “‬We have done all that is possible to keep the business trading,‭ ‬but the problems encountered with EUK,‭ ‬and particularly its recent failure,‭ ‬have been too much for the business to cope with.‭”

A string of heavy closures followed,‭ ‬with‭ ‬22‭ ‬stores shutting down in early January,‭ ‬followed by another‭ ‬18‭ (‬including London’s Piccadilly flagship‭) ‬closing a week later. ‬The shop numbers have trickled down since,‭ ‬and the final set of stores to be closed include Zavvi’s shop on London's Oxford Street,‭ ‬which has‭ ‬140‭ ‬full-time employees.

At full strength the retail outlet had‭ ‬114‭ ‬stores in the UK and‭ ‬11‭ ‬in the Irish Republic,‭ ‬and employed‭ ‬2,300‭ ‬full-time staff.

A number of stores have been sold off, with HMV picking up some fourteen of the group’s locations.‭ ‬Of the recent wave of closures,‭ ‬HMV has picked up another five outlets,‭ ‬brining its total to nineteen and saving‭ ‬111‭ ‬jobs in the process.

Five stores have been sold to Head Entertainment,‭ ‬the new enterprise from Zavvi’s former owner Simon Douglas,‭ ‬though the new retail group expects to buy up three more by the end of the week.‭ ‬In total‭ ‬249‭ ‬jobs will likely be saved from Head’s purchasing.

Zavvi had formed in‭ ‬2007‭ ‬following its buyout of Virgin Megastores.‭

"I would like to thank all of Zavvi's staff and customers for their commitment and continued support for the business throughout the administration,‭" ‬said Tom Jack,‭ ‬joint administrator.‭

"Whilst it has not been possible to secure a sale of the business as a going concern,‭ ‬we are delighted to have been able to secure continued employment for‭ ‬629‭ ‬Zavvi employees‭"‬.‭