UPDATE 1-Administrator begins sale of Threshers stores

* Network could be sold whole or in parts

(adds detail of sale process)

LONDON Oct 30 (Reuters) - KPMG, the administrators of First Quench Retailing, which owns British off-licence chains Threshers and Wine Rack, said on Friday it hopes to sell the company's 1,200 stores within a month.

Richard Fleming of KPMG said he had received a large number of calls from potential buyers since being appointed to run the loss-making company on Thursday.

Fleming said he hoped the sale of the stores, which also include The Local, Bottoms Up, Victoria Wine and Haddows brands, would be wrapped up within a month. The network of outlets might be sold off in parts or as one unit, he added.

Calls had come from distributors and wholesalers, as well as established retailers, Fleming said.

"A loss-making store in one entity's hands won't necessarily be loss-making for someone else -- it depends on the cost of goods and delivery, for example," Fleming said.

KPMG cut 81 head-office jobs at First Quench on Friday and expects to make more redundancies as they look for a buyer.

"Trading in the off-licence sector has become increasingly competitive in recent years, with the recession proving too much of an additional burden in this case," said Fleming.

KPMG said it had not immediately closed any of First Quench's 1,202 stores but that it was assessing each outlet's viability.

First Quench, backed by private equity firm Vision Capital, employs around 6,300 people. On Oct. 5 Vision injected 10 million pounds ($16.55 million) into First Quench and appointed a new chief financial officer. (Reporting by Mark Potter and Tom Freke, additional reporting by Simon Meads; Editing by David Cowell) ($1=.6041 Pound)