Department store jobs hope

Two department stores in the North-East may escape closure after administrators confirmed they are in talks with potential buyer Vergo Retail Limited. The future of Joplings, in Sunderland, and Robbs, in Hexham, Northumberland, plunged into uncertainty eleven weeks ago when parent company Owen Owen went into administration. Philip Duffy, partner at Kroll's Corporate Advisory & Restructuring Group, said he remains hopeful of a sale.

Unemployment figures

The number of unemployed people in the region has gone up by 3,000, according to figures released today by the Office for National Statistics. The jobless rate in the three months to March stands at 35,000, up from 32,000 in the three months to February. The North-East still has the highest rate of unemployment of all regions outside London.

Middlehaven plans to be considered

Councillors will consider plans for the first two buildings on the £200m Middlehaven development this summer. Developer BioRegional Quintain has submitted a detailed planning application to Middlebrough Council for the two apartment blocks with ground-floor offices. For pictures and more details of the two buildings see tomorrow's edition of The Northern Echo.

Sainsbury's profits up

Britain's third largest supermarket chain Sainsbury's has today unveiled a 42 per cent increase in underlying annual profits to £380m. The group said its three-year recovery programme was running ahead of schedule.