THE saga of department store Allders is beginning to resemble a pantomime.

Are jobs safe? "Oh yes they are," the audience screams as Primark announces its takeover in February.

"Oh no they ain't," comes the villainous reply, as the deal collapses on Tuesday.

But hang on, kids, isn't that the Fairy Godmother with her magic wand?

Maybe. It's Thursday and the deal "could be" back on, we are told.

Meanwhile, the other traders in Westgate's retail fairyland are starting to feel Allders' Closing Down Curse.

It's a riotous show, but no-one is laughing -- least of all, the hapless chorus (the staff), awaiting their fate as big business fe-fi-fo-fums its way to some kind of solution.

And in the middle of it all, is landlord Capital Shopping Centres -- the tight-lipped giant who hardly speaks.

It's Friday, and we're hoping for a happy ending. But until it comes, we have one message to the decision- makers: Look out, we're behind you.