EVERYTHING a shopaholic could wish for can be found under one roof as the new BHS store opens its doors today.
The store, which moved into the former Woolworths premises in Regent Street last year after its previous shop in The Parade was bulldozed, now has a state-of-the-art home thanks to a £25m overhaul of the town centre.
The new store in The Parade, next to River Island, boasts two floors of clothing ranges for all ages.
There is also an impressive home store and second floor restaurant overlooking the town.
Manager Andrea Richards, who has been in charge since January, has brought her team of 80 staff members from the former store and has also taken on a further 20 employees.
She said: “Everybody is really excited, all the teams have been bouncing in all week.
“They are all very tired because it has been a stressful week but we are expecting queues of people outside, we have had so many people looking in and trying the door it has been great.
“There is nothing else like it around here really, it is going to be a great place for families, there is something for everyone.
“We aim to be the best, and our customer service skills will definitely give us the edge.”
The usual brands can be found in the store, including Sophie Gray, Vanilla Sands, Tammy and Atlantic Bay, plus the popular Back To School range, all presented in an easy-to-shop layout.
The decor is both stylish and minimalistic and includes fashionable lighting from Milan.
“It has all been chosen to give the store a timeless feel,” said creative director Jacquie Gray.
“We have been a long time on the high street so a year ago we came up with a new store concept and this is it.
“It’s not going to go out of fashion within the next 10 years.
“The great thing about Swindon is that it is a completely new store so we have been able to start completely from scratch.
“It has been fantastic because we have such a huge space and we have been able to get it just perfect.
“Shoppers are very savvy now, they want to go into exciting stores and we didn’t want to be left behind.
“We have got our existing customers that have been with us for a long time and we want new customers too.
“It is a modern department store and there is something for everyone – women, men, kids, home, everything, and we wanted to present it in a completely different way.
“Who wouldn’t want to come and shop here?”
The store will be officially opened this morning by Mayor Ray Ballman.
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