Chester's Carpetright store will be closing despite a rescue deal by rivals Tapi, it has been confirmed.

Previously we reported flooring retailer Tapi had agreed to buy the Carpetright brand, intellectual property, 54 stores and two warehouses in a pre-pack administration deal.

The deal will also save more than 300 current jobs at Carpetright.

However, the deal will not save the majority of the business, nor Carpetright stores where Tapi has also set up shop nearby.

That includes the Carpetright store on the Greyhound Retail Park off Sealand Road, as Tapi Carpets is located only a few hundred yards away on the same retail park.

Jeevan Karir, managing director of Tapi Carpets & Floors Limited, said: “Our goal, initially, was to try to save all of Carpetright.

"However, as we looked into the details of the situation, we quickly established that saving the entire business was unviable. The business has been materially loss-making for a number of years and it has significant debt held by the owner.

"We then turned ourselves to trying to save a number of stores whilst being mindful of how the competition authorities would look at any deal. So, we arrived at 54 stores and two supporting warehouses. All of which are exceptional and that we’d be proud to have as part of the Tapi family.”

Carpetright filed a notice to appoint administrators earlier this month, after struggling in the face of weaker demand and a major cyber attack in April.

The company employed 1,852 people and operated 272 stores across the UK before entering insolvency.

Tapi was founded in 2015 by Lord Harris of Peckham, who also founded Carpetright. He sold all his stock in Carpetright in 2014.

Tapi has grown rapidly in recent years and runs about 175 shops across the UK.

Recently, Carpetright has suffered from weaker demand for carpets as homeowners shifted towards hard flooring as well as a major cyber attack in April which halted trading.

It said earlier this month that the cyber attack’s impact on sales affected efforts by the company to restructure its operations in recent months.

Tapi has, in a statement on its website, has offered advice for existing Carpetright customers and employees.

Advice includes details for customers who would like to request refunds from Carpetright, or what to do if there is a problem with a Carpetight flooring or fitting.