BISHOP Auckland-based Flooring Superstore, which is one of the UK’s fastest growing retailers, opened eight new stores across the UK on the same day.

Former Yorkshire and England international cricketer Ryan Sidebottom, who retired in 2017 after taking more than 1,000 career wickets, was the guest of honour at the opening of the new Flooring Superstore on the Blaydon Trade Park.

The company invested £100,000 in the new 3,464 sq ft store, which has created three new jobs for local people.

Regional manager Grieg Anderson said: “As a North-East business company, it’s always pleasing to be able to open a store on your doorstep and even better that we have been able to do so in a thriving city like Newcastle.

“It’s a sports-mad area so we were delighted to have someone of Ryan’s calibre to open the store on our behalf.

“His record for club and country speaks for itself and there are very few very people who can say they were on an ICC World Twenty20 winning team.”

The Blaydon store is one of 25 planned store openings in 2021 with others opening in Doncaster, Huddersfield, Norwich, Lincoln, Orpington, Basingstoke and Hull on the same day.

The Flooring Superstore sells carpets and other flooring such as vinyl, laminate, real wood, luxury vinyl tiles, EvoCore and artificial grass.