OKEHAMPTON'S new clothing store Peacocks will be opening its doors for business next Thursday bringing an extra 19 jobs to the town.
The second chain store to open within eight months will make use of the old Gateway shop which has not been fully occupied for 15 years. It follows the opening of the South West's flagship Waitrose store in March.
The 4,500 sq ft store will house menswear, womenswear, childrenswear and footwear.
Okehampton Chamber of Trade chairman Ian Bailey said in a previous article in the Times that the Peacocks store would take out an 'eyesore' of a boarded up empty shop in Fore Street and help boost the economy of town.
The building has undergone a six-month refurbishment ready for the retailer which has 397 stores nationwide.
A spokesperson for the company said Okehampton was the type of town where Peacocks was traditionally very successful and the new opening was part of a group investment programme of £12.1-million to open 40 new stores by the end of the year.