Last updated at 13:53, Monday, 02 July 2012

A NEW men’s fashion store is coming to Barrow – and will create 10 new jobs.

The Officers Club will open on July 12 in the vacant unit at 9 Portland Walk, formerly the Home Curtains and Bedding store.

The 10 jobs that will be created include positions as manager, assistant manager and supervisor, along with a number of part-time sales roles.

An Officers Club spokesman said: “The brand offers a mix of clothes ranging from a core casual collection to key trend-led pieces, perfect for big nights out on the town.”

This will be the third Officers Club in Cumbria, with branches already in Carlisle and Workington.

Ann Taylforth, Barrow town centre and festivals manager, said: “It’s wonderful that a national retailer has chosen to come to Barrow in such difficult economic times. It shows they have confidence in the town and the local area.”

Officers Club chief executive, Steven Cohen, said: “We are really excited to be opening a store in Barrow. Not only will this provide a number of jobs in the community, we also hope that the store will create a real buzz within the local area.”

The company was founded in the 1990s in Sunderland. At its peak the store had more than 150 stores across the country.

After a series of buy-outs it became one of the biggest retail companies in the UK with flagship stores in Oxford Street, London, and in Cardiff, Scotland and the North East.

In December 2008 the company entered administration and administrators closed 32 of the 150 stores. The remaining 118 stores were sold off, saving 900 jobs.

By 2011 the chain had just over 100 stores, with a total of around 800 staff employed across the business. In March the company entered administration again and 47 stores were sold to rival menswear retailer Blue Inc. The Officers Club also owns the Petroleum menswear brand.

A new British Heart Foundation store will open in August in what used to be Peacocks in Portland Walk.

First published at 13:05, Monday, 02 July 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk