STAFF at a Huddersfield store face an anxious Christmas after its owners announced plans to call in administrators.

The La Senza lingerie chain, which has a store employing about 20 people at Kingsgate, blamed trading conditions and the economic climate for the decision.

An administrator will now be chosen within 10 days in accordance with the UK Insolvency Act.

The retailer, which has 2,600 staff and 158 stores, said it continued to trade as normal and there had been no unplanned redundancies or store closures.

La Senza said that it continued to work with accountants KPMG “to explore all options to safeguard the future of the company and its employees.”

La Senza opened the Kingsgate store – its 165th – only in October.

At the time, a spokeswoman for the Middlesex-based retailer said it was part of a strategy to increase its presence in the north.

The firm – once owned by Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis – was bought by private equity group Lion Capital in 2006 and had sales last year of about £140m.

Earlier this week, administrators for shoe retailer Barratts Priceless announced the closure of 18 stores with the loss of 127 jobs.

A further 43 workers at the firm’s head office in Bradford have also been made redundant – although the store at the Kingsgate Centre will continue trading while the administrators seek a buyer for the chain.