Laughter and tears at the final curtain
The News joined staff at BHS as the doors closed for the very last time after serving generations of East Kilbride shoppers since the early 1970s.
There were tears and laughter as staff members said farewell and shared memories of their time together. Liz Ahern, from Calderwood, who has worked in the store for 17 years, paid tribute to her colleagues and said: “I never thought it would come to this.
“I remember when the BHS in town had a food court – it’s been a big part of the high street in East Kilbride for so long.
“We are a family here and even through the bad times everyone has been willing to help each other out. That’s the worst part – splitting up such a great group.”
Gayle Downs, who has worked at the branch for over 14 years, said: “Just seeing it empty like this is unbelievable.
“Everyone can remember growing up with BHS and to lose it is a real tragedy.
“It’s the staff in each shop who have been hit hardest and it’s going to be really hard to say goodbye at the end of the day.”
Liz Thomson praised the togetherness of the staff as they faced months of insecurity.
Liz, who has been part of the team for 14 years, said: “We are a family here but there is nothing we could have done. It’s all gone on above our heads and we have been hit hard. It’s a really sad day.”
Carole Cameron, from The Murray, was the longest serving member of staff having worked there for 18 years.
She worked her way up from a Christmas temp job to operations manager in the store.
Carole said: “When I joined all those years ago working on just a 12-hour contract, I thought I would be here for about six months but I loved it and worked my way up.
“There are some great people who work here and I would really like to say a thank you about how professional they have been during administration.
“We have people of all ages here who have worked for just a year or for decades – but everyone has done themselves proud.”
Everyone can remember growing up with BHS and to lose it is a real tragedy Gayle Downs We are a family here but there is nothing we could have done Liz Thomson