A chain of stores launched by a Sussex university graduate has gone into receivership.

Girl Heaven, designed to sell everything a girl could want, was launched last year by former Sussex student Judy Lever.

The chain boasted six stores round the country, including one in Brighton's Churchill Square, but all have now gone into administrative receivership.

Staff arriving for work at the Brighton branch on Thursday last week discovered it had closed without warning.

It is not yet known whether the store, which opened nine months ago selling everything from fairy outfits to make-up, will continue to trade under a new owner or close completely.

Peter Beard, marketing manager of Churchill Square, said: "It's very sad because the staff were excellent. It's very disappointing from our point of view because we don't like seeing empty units and if someone is going, we like to have lined up another company, but we have also been left in the lurch."

He said: "My heart goes out to the people who have worked hard and done a good service at the shop."

The receivership of Girl Heaven Ltd is being managed by London based business receivers and insolvency experts Baker Tilly.

A spokesman for Baker Tilly said: "We are reviewing the possibility of continuing to trade as the business and selling it as a going concern, but we have just been appointed joint administrative receivers and it's impossible to file a black and white statement as to what will happen."

Judy Lever spent more than 20 years working in television before launching a maternity wear store Blooming Marvellous with business partner Vivienne Pringle.

Mrs Lever worked on hard-hitting documentaries such as the dangers of food additives to runaway teenagers before moving into business with Girl Heaven.