A SHOPPING centre in Huddersfield is set for a further boost with the opening of a new store.
Upmarket lingerie retailer La Senza is creating up to 20 jobs in the Kingsgate Centre with the opening of its 165th store tomorrow.
And its arrival has been hailed by Kingsgate manager Jonathan Hardy, who said the shopping complex was now attracting attention as a “serious player” across the Yorkshire region.
The official store opening takes place at 11am with a pink ribbon-cutting ceremony, cupcakes, exclusive special offers and a social media competition to win a year’s supply of lingerie.
The Middlesex-based retailer is today completing work to fit out the unit, previously occupied by women’s fashion chain Jane Norman.
Mr Hardy said: “It continues the trend we have established to make Kingsgate the shopping destination of choice in Huddersfield.
“We agreed terms with H&M and they opened in September; we attracted jewellery store Pandora, which opened last month, and now we have La Senza.
“We have managed to acquire three names which have been on our wish-list for a long time and we have done it during one of the worst national economic situations we have seen since we opened 10 years ago.”
Only one vacant unit remains in Kingsgate, but Mr Hardy said there was strong interest and it was hoped to find an occupier by early in the new year.
Mr Hardy said Kingsgate had been able to replace retailers who had pulled out at the end of their tenancy agreement – or had failed – with tenants of “equal or improved stature”.
He added: “It strengthens our position in the region, keeps Kingsgate in the public eye, demonstrates our ability to buck the national trend and shows that Kingsgate is a serious player.”
A spokeswoman for La Senza said the opening of the Huddersfield store – taking its total to 165 – follows the relocation of its store at Manchester’s Trafford Centre last week and the opening of a store in Wakefield two days ago.
She said: “It is part of a strategy to increase our presence in the north. We have realised there is a gap in the market in these areas.”
Features of the Huddersfield store include spacious fitting rooms, ivory ceramic flooring, recently-launched La Senza mannequins and mirrored catwalks.
