An office supplies wholesaler is urging landlords to reject a survival plan for stationery retailer Office Outlet in favour of a deal that will ensure all of its stores remain open.

Jetzt has drawn up an alternative vision for the former Staples chain, which it claims will keep the store estate intact and prevent landlords from facing major rent cuts.

Office Outlet has around 90 stores employing 1,000 staff, but its finances have come under strain from the biting conditions on the High Street.

Its current directors plan to restructure the business using a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), a process adopted by a raft of under fire retailers this year.

It is understood that four stores would close through the CVA process, putting 50 jobs at risk, while it will reportedly ask some landlords for a three-year rent holiday.

Jetzt said it has offered to buy the retailer as a going concern for £1, claiming the retailer would face administration without extra funding.

If it seized control of the chain, it would broaden its focus from High Street retailing to the business-to-business market.

Mike Atkinson, chief executive of Jetzt, said: “We have been attempting to acquire Office Outlet for nearly 14 months because we believe that a hybrid retail and B2B offering in the office products sector has significant market potential.