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New store openings at Middlesbrough’s Cleveland Centre lead to raft of new jobs

Five new stores have opened at Middlesbrough’s Cleveland Centre, with another set to open its doors early in the New Year, creating new retail jobs in the build-up to Christmas.

Cleveland Centre will see a new Collectables store open this week following the recent launch of Pep & Co, Shoe Zone and independent fashion retailer Encore, together with a town centre return for Middlesbrough FC’s retail arm.

Having welcomed the launch of the new Holiday Inn Express within the past three months, Centre manager Graeme Skillen is also confident of completing deals for three further units in the near future.

Shop fitting is close to completion on the new 2,300 sq ft Collectables store on Centre Mall, with the store set to open close to WH Smith before the end of this week.

This follows the recent opening of a 4,000 sq ft unit by low-cost clothing retailer Pep & Co, also on the main mall.

Shoe retail Shoe Zone completed its relocation from Captain Cook Square by moving into a new 2,000 sq ft unit on the Linthorpe Road precinct last week, while Middlesbrough FC will retain a temporary unit on Wesley Mall until at least the end of January.

The relaunched men’s fashion clothing store Psyche2 also enjoyed a high-profile opening.

Another newcomer to the Centre is Middlesbrough and Teesside Philanthropic Foundation, with the charity looking to further raise its profile by opening its headquarters close to the Centre Mall entrance on Grange Road.

After several months running a unit from a temporary location within the Centre, Holland & Barrett will open its new store on the Linthorpe Road precinct in early January. At 4,000 sq ft, the store is twice the size of its previous home.

Graeme Skillen said: “It’s been a fantastic end to the year for Cleveland Centre. The host of new stores have created a real buzz ahead of the Christmas rush. The great news is that, of course, all these new stores bring new jobs too.

“We’re expecting to welcome around one million shoppers through our doors during December, and we’re then expecting to make a very positive start to the New Year. We now have only three units available and have offers on all three of them, so we potentially have more exciting news to follow in the near future.”