MERRY Hill’s branch of BHS is to close at the end of August, it has been confirmed.

The doomed department store went into administration in April and, despite efforts to save the company, administrators Duff & Phelps agreed in June that the company would be wound down.

BHS stores across the UK have been in close down sale mode over the last few weeks and the intu Merry Hill outlet has been earmarked to close on Sunday August 28, a spokesman for the administrators Duff and Phelps confirmed today (Tuesday), although she added that “dates are provisional at the moment and may change”.

It is not known how many staff are affected by the Merry Hill closure but around 8,000 staff jobs nationwide are expected to be lost in total through the demise of the long-running High Street chain.

intu Merry Hill bosses have yet to confirm what will happen to the large two-storey corner store, currently occupied by BHS, which provides a walkway through from the mall to the multi-storey car park.

Rob Pickersgill, marketing manager at intu Merry Hill, said: “We are sorry to hear BHS is closing down and we wish its staff well.

“We’re always working hard to refresh our store line-up with new and exciting retailers to give our customers the best possible shopping experience. 

"We are currently in discussion with a number of retailers who are keen to have a presence in our centre and we’ll be in a position to announce new brands soon."