FASHION firm H&M opened in Witney today bringing more trade and jobs to the town.

The Gazette took a look at the new store, as staff members put the finishing touches to it.

The 670-square metre shop, in the Woolgate Centre, has created some 20 jobs, and fills the last vacant unit in the centre.

Area manager, Yanira Ramirez, said: “Witney is a thriving market town, and we’ve jumped at the opportunity to open a store here.

“We continue expanding in Oxfordshire, and this is a perfect spot for us.”

She would not discuss the company’s competitors, but said the chain had identified a gap in Witney’s market. She said: “We feel there are customers that are hungry for fashion — there is a gap for us.”

She added: “Our business concept is fashion and quality at the best price, and we do hope our Witney customers appreciate that.

“We have a varied range of H&M collections, for ladies wear and kids wear, with everything from modern basics to the latest international trends.”

She said the store would also feature a ‘cost conscious collection’, which includes clothes made from recycled polyester to organic cotton.

The store is set over two floors, and features clothing for women and children — but not men.

It has also employed people from the surrounding area to fill the new posts.

Store manager, Sarah Grant, said: “Quite a lot of us have worked in Witney before. For us, it’s going to be nice to get to know customers well and interact with local people.”

She also said she expected the store to benefit other traders by encouraging more people to stay and shop in Witney.

She said: “When Marriotts Walk opened, that brought more people in to the town.

“People will shop locally, as opposed to going to another town.”

The Woolgate Centre manager, Rodney Hartnell said: “We are delighted that H&M will open at The Woolgate Centre.

“The new store looks great, and we anticipate it attracting lots of customers to the centre over the extended weekend — great news for retailers at The Woolgate Centre as well as Witney’s wider retail economy.”

Chamber of Trade chairman, Lesley Semaine, said: “I think everyone’s been looking forward to the opening.

“H&M is so well known, and it’s completing the shopping centre, which is great.

“Witney’s becoming much more attractive, and this is yet another reason to come to the town.”