After recently celebrating the fact that they bucked a national decline in the build-up to Christmas, Yate Shopping Centre has revealed they are bringing a popular store to the area.

Next month, Home Bargains will open in the centre in the space vacated by the What! shop, just towards Poundland from Wetherspoons.

The store is currently undergoing a redevelopment and has set a planned opening date of February 9.

Andrew Lowrey, the shopping centre manager revealed his excitement that the area would be gaining another big name.

“This is another demonstration of Yate’s attraction to successful high street chains.

“As one of the country’s fastest growing and highest rated retailers, Home Bargains will bring an excellent offer that we feel will be very popular with our customers.

“It is no secret that retailers at all levels are reviewing their options for the next twelve months in the light of the threat of Brexit and the continued impact of online shopping.

“I am pleased with the way that Yate Shopping Centre is performing and Home Bargains is another major boost for us.”

Home Bargains is a chain of discount stores that was founded in 1976 and sells a selection of different things.

Andrew also praised customers for the way the centre is continuing to defy the trends, with the number of visitors continuing to go up.

“Yate Shopping Centre is experiencing a period of sustained success with very few vacant units defying the national trend," he said.

“We currently have a vacancy rate of just under 5% compared with a national rate of above 10%.

“We have also seen an increase in the number of visitors to the town centre over the last twelve months.

"This is against a national fall in numbers in a very difficult trading market."

In December, the centre reported that there was an increase of 2.6 percent in the number of visitors, with the huge Christmas parade registering an increase of 17.5 per cent as thousands of people saw the lights switched on.