THE collapse of a major Glasgow cash and carry business has attracted a string of potential buyers.

Expressions of interest have been made for the firm's empty building just 72 hours after the Evening Times revealed the House of Sher had gone bust.

Administrator Ian Wright, of Glasgow-based WRI Associates, plans to sell off the four-storey property in Wallace Street, Tradeston, along with stock in an effort to raise funds for creditors.

He has yet to put the building on the market but today Mr Wright said: "There has already been a high level of interest in the building.

"We expect full particulars to be issued in the next day or two.

"I'm hopeful I will be able to progress negotiations quickly and achieve a satisfactory outcome for the creditors."

Debts of around £1 million and a sharp drop in trade forced the ailing firm's two directors to place the business into voluntary administration.

The House of Sher, which specialised in upmarket DIY equipment and fancy goods as well as food – all at discounted prices – served traders and the general public across the city and the west of Scotland.

But the global economic downturn and the growth of online shopping were blamed for a drop in customer numbers which crippled the company.

It was a subsidiary of the Sher Group, which operates a number of other businesses including several Sher Brothers cash and carries.

The closure of the House of Sher also resulted in the loss of 10 jobs. A family spokesman claimed that at least 40 other staff had been made redundant last year.

One of the owners is also thought to have stepped down from his directorship on the board of the Sher Group, which is believed to have pumped tens of thousands of pounds into the business in an attempt to save it.

Trade sources suggest the existing group directors might also enter a potential bidding war for the South Side building in the hope of relaunching it as a business hub for Glasgow's Asian community.

The Evening Times also revealed earlier this week that council planners could look favourably at any application to switch the property from business to residential use, particularly as there are already flats in the area.

The property has the potential to be converted into apartments and any bidding war is expected to attract a number of rival buyers.

gordon.thomson@ eveningtimes.co.uk