Outdoors store creating 80 jobs at Merry Hill centre
Ultimate Outdoors will open a new store at Merry Hill, creating around 80 jobs, it has been announced.
The firm, part of JD Sports, is taking over the old Kiddicare shop which has been lying empty since September last year.
Bosses have begun recruiting full and part-time workers for the store, which will welcome its first customers on May 23.
Work is now under way to refurbish and fit out the premises ahead of the store's opening day.
Rob Pickersgill, marketing manager at intu Merry Hill, has welcomed the new store and the jobs boost for the centre.
"We're very excited for the opening of Ultimate Outdoors, another great boost to the centre in what has been a very successful first year as intu," he added.
Bosses at Ultimate Outdoors say they are planning a promotional weekend to mark the opening of the new store at the Brierley Hill complex, which will include special offers and a climbing wall in the car park.
Ultimate Outdoors sells online and has a store in Preston. It is also opening a branch in Nottingham.
In 2014 the business was acquired by JD Sports Fashion plc and was re-launched in its new location in Preston.
The Merry Hill site was one of five old Kiddicare baby and nursery specialist stores bought by JD Sports last year along with premises in Aintree and Rotherham.
Kiddicare closed its Merry Hill branch with the loss of 100 jobs along with nine other stores. It had opened in October 2012 in the former Best Buy premises.
But there have been new jobs created at Merry Hill since Kiddicare shut. Around 30 positions were available at the Simply Be and Jacamo shop.
Latest figures from Intu show that Merry Hill made a profit of £63.9m last year.
