THE Largs branch of M&Co has been saved as the company closes scores of outlets.

M&Co’s long-established store in Main Street is one of the company’s 265 UK outlets to be spared following a financial restructuring.

Others, including in nearby Greenock and Girvan in South Ayrshire, have been shut with immediate effect.

The company, which has had a presence in the town for over 20 years, appointed administrators in April as the coronavirus outbreak forced the closure of most UK retailers for almost four months.

Chief executive Andy McGeoch said: “It quickly became clear that best way to save most jobs and most stores was to enter administration, with a new company acquiring the assets of the old business, and this process has now been finalised. Covid has been by far the biggest challenge our family business has faced in almost 60 years, and I am really pleased that we have been able to maintain a presence in over 200 communities, including Largs.

“Covid-19 means many people don’t feel comfortable travelling on public transport or visiting busy city centres and that can be good news for local High Street stores like M&Co. That’s why we are looking at ways of working in partnership with other local retailers to highlight the tremendous range of shopping that can be found in communities like this all over the country.

“Local economies rely to a huge degree on their town centres and we have seen too many High Streets hollowed out by successive shop closures.

"More and more people are beginning to realise that, if they don’t support their town centres, everyone’s quality of living really takes a hit, so we are proud to be playing a part in the drive to shop locally. “The response from our customers during lockdown was phenomenal. We had a steady stream of requests for updates via M&Co’s Facebook pages, with some customers even posting letters through the doors asking when we were reopening. It’s hugely encouraging to hear our customers say how much they have missed us after months away.”

The administration process, which is being managed by Deloitte, will see the estate reduced from 265 to 218 stores, with around 380 redundancies from a total workforce of over 2,600.

The Main Street shop re-opened after lockdown on June 29 with a host of new measures to keep shoppers safe.

Hand sanitiser has been placed at the store's entrance while screens have been installed to protect customers and staff at cash desks There is also regular cleaning of all touch points in the store, and contactless payment is being encouraged.

Fitting rooms will continue to be closed, but an extended refund policy is in place.

A company spokesperson said: "Our team are happy to help if you have any questions whilst we all adjust to this new way of working and shopping."