A MAJOR retailer has given Morecambe a boost after it announced plans to open in the resort.

Clothing giant Matalan is to move in to a new unit on the White Lund industrial estate.

And the fast growing firm has promised to offer the 45 new jobs it will create to local people.

The company has a growing reputation as a major men's, women's and children's clothing and homewear chain, and has around 100 stores nationwide.

Many Lancaster and Morecambe shoppers are already familiar with the Matalan store in Preston.

The Morecambe store is to cover 18,000 square feet, smaller than many other Matalan stores, and is expected to attract customers from outside the town. Matalan stores offer brand name and own brand clothes in a similar way to town centre shops but, because they are based out of town, they claim to offer lower prices than town centre shops.

A Matalan spokesperson said: "We expecting to be opening in Morecambe in the next couple of months.

"We operate on a club membership basis, with cards costing £1 and we send out catalogues two or three times a year. We already have over 5 million people on our database."

The store is expected to open in late September or early October of this year.