Booker has expressed its disappointment at the collapse of a group of Budgens stores operated by Food Retailer Operations Limited (FROL).

FROL’s administrator PwC initially announced the closure of nine of the FROL Budgens stores on 28 February and most recently said the remaining 25 would shut within a fortnight.

A Booker spokeswoman said that while it was disappointed FROL was in this position, the collapse did not affect Budgens or its colleagues.

“Budgens is a brand which operates 150 stores as a symbol group. The business is performing very strongly.”

The collapse of the business leaves 815 employees out of a job, although the Co-operative, which sold what were previously Somerfield stores to FROL I July 2016, said it was still trying to find jobs for former colleagues.

Somerfield was a format created after the acquisition of Gateway Corporation by Isosceles in 1989. The Co-op bought Somerfield’s 880 stores for £1.57bn in 2008.