The administrator for bargain clothing retailer Ethel Austin has announced the Preston store is to close.

This afternoon, the company's administrator Menzies Corporate Restructuring said that 33 store would close, including the one at 63 Friargate Walk in the St George's Centre.

A spokesperson for Menzies said: "We can confirm that redundancies were made at 33 stores today and a further 181 redundancies were made at the company's head office in Knowsley.

"The stores will be closed over the course of the next three weeks.

"We will continue to focus our efforts on finding a suitable buyer for the business and are already talking to interested parties."

The retail chain has outlets across Lancashire including in Leyland, Chorley, Poulton-le-Fylde, Cleveleys, Lytham St Annes, Kirkham and two shops in Blackpool.

However, no other stores in the county are earmarked for closure.

The company employs about 2,800 staff at 300 stores across the country, as well as its Knowsley-based HQ near Liverpool.

Administrator Menzies Corporate Restructuring said it hopes to find a buyer for the firm, which was founded in 1934 and is the official uniforms supplier to Liverpool - European City of Culture 2008.