FASHION giant Zara will open its doors in Swansea in August.

The news comes as another High Street clothes store is believed to be ready to announce plans to move into the city centre.

The opening marks a major milestone for the development, which has been slow in filling up since building on it finished in the Spring. It stands on the site of the old David Evans department store, which closed in January 2005.

Zara is one of the world's biggest fashion retailers.

It has 63 stores in the UK, and another 1,314 around the world.

Experts say its presence in the city centre will help pull in thousands of extra shoppers every year.

Prices are towards the mid-range, although the credit crunch has seen it squeeze profits to make sure it hits its market head on.

Its market is aimed at the latest trends, catering for women, men and children as a one-stop shopping venue. It is not yet known if the two-storey Swansea base will offer its posh 'Zara Home' interiors brand.

But its opening will coincide with the launch of its autumn range.

Jobs at the new store are already being advertised.

It will be the second store to open up at the new complex, following in the footsteps of Slater Menswear.

Three other big units within it have still to be occupied. And it is still unclear about whether Swansea's JT Morgan store, which closed suddenly last year with the promise of moving into it as well, is ever going to go ahead.

Stylist and designer Emma Sands says its presence in Swansea will help raise its profile as a regional shopping centre.

"It is exactly what is needed right now," she said.

"A big name is what pulls people in, and you don't get much bigger than Zara these days.

"For any city to see itself as a regional base it has to have these kind of shops. It has been a long time in coming, but its arrival will be a real milestone and go some way towards replacing what was lost when David Evans pulled out."

Meanwhile, in a further boost to the city centre, a second chain selling catwalk trends at affordable prices is thought to be preparing a bid for a new store near to the Princess Way shopping centre.

WHAT attracts shoppers to a city centre?

 

It probably goes without saying that good quality rail and road links are essential. Whether you are driving or using public transport, the journey needs to be as quick, painless and preferably as cheap as possible.

However, if asked why they choose a town or city, most would conclude that variety is the spice of shopping life. It’s the variety of shops, restaurants, cafes and bars that pulls  us in — and ultimately keeps us coming back for more.

 Any town or city filled with popular high street names is going to pull in the punters. Shoppers like the comfortable, dependable  feeling that the likes of M&S, Debenhams, Next and Primark give us, but unless there is a fair smattering of something different, it’s going to make for a rather sterile experience.

  Independent traders can provide the icing on the cake. They add the colour and vibrancy that makes a town or city memorable. Swansea needs the big and small names if it is to survive and prosper.