CIVIC leaders are celebrating a national clothing retailer’s decision to open a new store in a struggling town.

Peacocks, the fashion retail chain that is a part of the Edinburgh Woollen Mill group and has more than 6,000 staff across the United Kingdom, is investing in Nelson.

The Cardiff-based brand is taking over the Place de Creil site mothballed in July after the liquidation of the fashion chain Store Twenty One.

The company is advertising jobs in the store, which is due to open in what was originally Woolworths, on September 7.

Peacocks’ decision comes as another welcome boost for Nelson as it fights to recover from its economic troubles.

Earlier this month property developer Craig Brandwood bought the Pendle Rise shopping centre, which had been in receivership for several years, and declared his intention to see every unit quickly occupied.

His commitment to the town came hot on the heels of the announcement of the opening date for the Costa Coffee outlet, which will trade for the first time at Pendle Rise on Wednesday.

Mr Brandwood, who has already held meetings with Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson, leading councillors and council officials, plans to invest £2.7million over the next three years.

Stressing that he is determined to play a part in revitalising the town, Mr Brandwood said: “We want the best for the whole town, not just for Pendle Rise.”

Cllr Mohammed Iqbal, leader of Pendle Council, who has already committed to work with Mr Brandwood for the good of Pendle Rise and Nelson, said the impending arrival of Peacocks meant things were on the up in Nelson.

The Nelson store will be the chain’s fourth in East Lancashire, where it already has stores at Oswaldtwistle Mills, Burnley and Accrington. The retailer also has a store in Chorley.

Cllr Iqbal said: “Things are looking up.

“The council has been working with various parties and things are coming together.

“We will continue working together with a view to rejuvenating the town and restoring it to its former glory.”

Cllr Iqbal said he thought the Peacocks store could open in the autumn.

Peacocks was founded by Albert Frank Peacock in Warrington in 1884 as a true penny bazaar.

His son Harold then moved the business to the Welsh capital in 1940.

From the mid-1990s Peacocks experienced significant development and growth and opted to place a greater emphasis on fashion, which has helped to propel the brand to its prominent position as a national name.