THE Merry Hill branch of struggling women’s fashion retailer Jane Norman has been saved after being bought by Edinburgh Woollen Mill.

EWM has bought 33 stores which it plans to continue trading as Jane Norman, administrators Zolfo Cooper confirmed this week.

Alastair Beveridge, partner at Zolfo Cooper, said: “It has been an exacting time for the company, which has a substantial amount of debt.

“We are pleased to have ensured the survival of such a familiar presence on the High Street.”

Jane Norman, which has 94 stores in the UK and Ireland, went into administration on Monday (June 27) which has resulted in the loss of 33 stores and left the future of a further 28 hanging in the balance.