Clothing giant TK Maxx has opened the doors of its new town centre store.

The high street budget brand is the first tenant to take their place in the £11m extension of the Grosvenor Centre, in Macclesfield.

According to the centre, the firm has taken up about half of the room in the 50,000 sq ft extension and is expected to create around 35 new jobs in the town.

Work began in May 2017 when the Cheshire Building Society was demolished to make room for the extension. A new glass canopy has since been built over the entrance on Castle Street and the new shops will be linked to the centre’s existing shops.

First Customer Judy Metcalfe opens the store

The centre’s manager, Ed Kennedy, said the new store will give the town a boost and is already popular among shoppers.

He said: “Everyone at the centre is delighted that TK Maxx is now open. We had a fantastic day and the response to the opening from the people of Macclesfield was brilliant, with hundreds of shoppers enjoying the newest name at the centre.

“The store is a great addition to both the Grosvenor Centre and Macclesfield as a whole and as demonstrated, it is set to be extremely popular.

“Everyone involved with the centre has been working hard to bring TK Maxx to the centre and with it now open I’m looking forward to working with Store Manager Jared and his team over the coming weeks and months.”

According to Mr Kennedy the remaining shops will be announced soon.

He added: “We’re always working to make sure we have the best possible retail options for the people of Macclesfield to enjoy. The arrival of TK Maxx is a key part of that and I’m looking forward to announcing new stores in due course.”

Work has been ongoing for the past year to complete the £11m extension

TK Maxx has also said they were pleased to finally open the store after a long wait. A spokesperson added: “We are delighted to finally open our doors to the shoppers of Macclesfield. We greeted hundreds of excited customers this morning as they headed in to discover the big labels and designer gems.

"The rapidly changing assortments creates the treasure hunt shopping experience that our customers love and we are so excited to share it with Macclesfield.

“We encourage shoppers to stop by often to find the latest designer fashion.”