A DOUBLE dose of business development has been served to a busy Bolton shopping centre.
Fashion chain MIC has expanded its business and moved from its existing unit at Crompton Place and opened two new stores – one dedicated to men’s clothing and the other to women’s fashion.
The MIC move follows investment by Crompton Place’s Boots which has finished a major refurbishment of the flagship number seven range, creating one new job and potentially a second.
Malcolm Angus, Crompton Place Manager, said: “Positive business developments like these are a reflection of the hard work, investment and dedication which our retailers show Crompton Place and it is great to see our tenants grow their businesses with us.
“My team here works very hard to support these moves and it is great to see them come to fruition.
“The fact MIC has been able to now open two stores with us is terrific news and this development along with the refurbishment at Boots can only improve things for our loyal shoppers which is what we are all striving to do.”
MIC, which also has stores in Ashton and Bury, has been open in Crompton Place for eight years, although the company itself has been going for 15 years.
Omar Chaudhry, Operations Manager for MIC, said: “The move to larger premises and two stores at Crompton Place has been important for us because we simply did not have enough space in the other store for all the stock we need for our customers.
“It meant we couldn’t make the store look as good as we wanted.
“It has also meant that by creating two separate stores, we have been able to significantly expand what we can offer. We now have a full shoe department in the men’s shop which we didn’t have before and in the ladies’ store we have expanded the shoe range to twice the size and we have a lot more now in terms of accessories and handbags.
“We have been able to create a one-stop shop in both women’s and men’s wear so our customers can get everything they need in one hit and for different occasions, whether they are looking for something for day time casual or more glamorous night time wear.”
Omar added that he was very grateful to Malcolm and the Crompton Place team for their valuable help with the move which only resulted in the business being shut for one day.
He said: “We are now fully settled in our new stores and are really happy to have made the move. We are looking forward to welcoming new, old and regular customers and being able to offer them even more in the latest trends at very good prices.
“The move has also meant I have been able to offer more hours to our loyal team which work with us here to make sure we can give the best possible customer service in both stores.”
A new job was created and another could be on the way by a major number seven refurbishment at Boots in Crompton Place.
Paula Hutchinson, Team Manager, of Heywood who has worked at the busy store for eight years, said: “It has been a full facelift for our own make-up range, which is our best seller, and there has been some great feedback from customers who have literally come in and said wow because the whole thing was done overnight in about 12 hours.
“It shows an important investment in the Bolton store by Boots which I think is reassuring to our loyal customers and shows we are here to stay at Crompton Place.”
