End for Sunderland's historic Joplings department store

An historic Sunderland department store is to close its doors after attempts to find a buyer failed.

Administrators for Joplings said the store, which has been on the same site for 206 years, would close on Saturday with the loss of 100 jobs.

The store went into administration in May along with nine others in the UK owned by Vergo Retail.

Liverpool-based Vergo stepped in to rescue Joplings in 2007 when parent company Owen Owen collapsed.

A spokesman for MCR said: "Since the administration began we have worked hard to secure a purchase of the Vergo business.

"However, given the tough economic climate and the financial challenges hitting the UK's retail industry, certain stores, including Joplings, can no longer be sustained."

From its opening in 1804, trading as Jopling & Tuer - named after the stores owners - the store became part of the fabric of Sunderland.

Known by many as "Harrods of Sunderland", the store has also been a significant part of the city's architectural heritage.