It is the end of an era for the well known Hasties store of Largs which is has been put up for sale.

Long established in the Main Street, it has been marketed as the ‘Largs-est department store’, and an ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ owing to its extensive range of goods, which made it an institution with locals and visitors alike.

It sells all manner of traditional Scottish fare from kilts to suits, food, whisky, angling gear and electrical goods, and is unique in its range and size, with art and sports merchandise.

However, the traditional haberdashery like store, which has been part and parcel of the Largs shopping map for 50 years, is currently up for sale as a freehold property for £549,995, having been family run by the Duncans for three generations.

With the loss of many shops in the town over the years such as the nearby Woolworths and Rowe Sports, Hasties was always a reliable port-of-call for provision of goods otherwise unavailable in the town.

A spokesman for Bruce and Co, Business Sales Specialists stated on their website: “Hasties has a fantastic reputation locally and worldwide, and offers excellent potential to increase turnover.

“The business was acquired by our clients’ family and has been under their very caring ownership for over 45 years. Our clients have reluctantly made the difficult decision to place the business on the market due to their pending wish to retire.

“Hasties of Largs is an extremely unique store which offers almost every kind of product imaginable. A small variety of retail lines which Hasties stocks are bespoke jewellery, highland clothing wear, hardware items, general household products, giftware, electrical, clothing and footwear to name just a few.

“In addition, Hasties offers services such as dry cleaning and key cutting, and also has an art gallery in-store. Hasties, however is probably most renowned and famous for its offering of whiskies. The store has been selling whisky since 1873 and stocks over 350 lines of whiskies from all over the world which people travel far and wide to buy. Not just a department store, Hasties could also be described as a visitor attraction.

“The staff in Hasties are extremely knowledgeable in their product ranges and offer first class service to customers. The success of this store is a huge testament to the current owners who have continually developed and improved the business throughout their ownership.” The department store has one full-time position, and ten part-time staff, many of whom have been there for many years.

Bruce and Co. added that the department store benefitted from loyalty locally, across Scotland and throughout the world.

For the past 20 years brothers Jim and Andy Duncan have been in charge of the shop.