THE owners of Blackburn Shopping Centre have still not found a buyer three weeks after announcing it was for sale.

Standard Life put the centre on the market earlier this month for an undisclosed sum.

Bosses said they were confident of a quick sale and revealed various parties had shown an interest.

But today they said a buyer for the property, which they bought in 1993, had not been found.

A spokesman said: "There is no rush in these kind of matters and it is a case of finding the right kind of purchaser.

"The sale is being dealt with by our solicitors and these things do take time.

"We are still confident of a quick sale."

Despite ploughing in £15million to refurbish the centre in 1995, Edinburgh-based Standard Life came in for criticism over its ownership of the centre.

Bosses were accused of letting the Lord Square area of the centre being left to ruin -- leading to a huge campaign by the Lancashire Evening Telegraph for action.

Ronnie O'Keeffe, president of the Blackburn and District Chamber of Trade, said he felt that the company, which owns five other shopping centres throughout the country as well as having joint-ownership of one in London, had "run its course" in Blackburn.

Standard Life also owns 22 out of town retail centres throughout Britain.

Blackburn Shopping Centre is the only retail outlet to be sold off by the owners.