Staff at intu Merry Hill’s BHS store are to lose their jobs as the high street chain goes into liquidation.

The decision followed a lengthy bidding process aimed at saving BHS, which went into administration in April. All 163 BHS stores will be holding closing sales over the coming weeks before shutting their doors for good.

None of the offers put on the table were judged acceptable by administrators Duff & Phelps, which blamed "seismic shifts" in the retail sector for the collapse of the chain.

Former owner Sir Philip Green said he was "saddened and disappointed" by the biggest retail collapse since Woolworths in 2008. A spokesman said the billionaire Topshop owner had hoped to see the company sold as a going concern.