High street women's wear store Bonmarche, which has a store in Ayr and Irvine, has collapsed into administration for the second time in just over a year.

The collapse of the company, which comes hot on the heels of news of troubles at Debenhams and the Arcadia group, spells more woe for the highstreet, potentially costing 1,500 jobs.

However, RSM Restructuring Advisory, which has been appointed to handle the administration, said all Bonmarche’s 225 stores will remain open and there are no redundancies yet as it looks to agree a rescue deal.

Bonmarche plunged into administration back in October 2019, before administrators agreed a rescue deal with retailer Peacocks.

At the time it was feared the Ayr and Irvine stores would have to close, after closing down sale signs appeared in the windows of the Ayr store, but closure was staved off.

Damian Webb, joint administrator of RSM Restructuring Advisory, said: “Bonmarche remains an attractive brand with a loyal customer base.

“It is our intention to continue to trade whilst working closely with management to explore the options for the business.

“We will shortly be marketing the business for sale, and based on the interest to date we anticipate there will be a number of interested parties.”

The chain also has a store in Kilmarnock, which put closing down sale signs in its windows last month.