ONE of the country's leading retailers is demonstrating its commitment to Bishop Auckland by giving its town centre store a facelift.

Boots is planning to transform its Newgate Street premises with a multi-thousand pound refit over two weeks at the beginning of next month.

Work will go on around the clock and the store will close for two days, on May 5 and 6, although its medicines dispensing service will be maintained.

Boots, which employs 30 people, is one of dozens of Bishop Auckland businesses backing a Shopping for A Future campaign launched by The Northern Echo and the town's Chamber of Trade.

Manager Jill Nimmo said: "The Bishop Auckland store is very successful and this shows our confidence in the town.

"There is a great commitment to Bishop Auckland, otherwise we would not be doing this.

"The store had to meet a lot of criteria to get the refit and it underlines that we are here to stay. It will also be a lot nicer for our staff and customers."

The refit includes the installation of a carousel for the storage and dispensing of drugs.

Boots has already updated 240 of its 1,400 stores around the country. A further 300 will be modernised over the next 12 months.

The company's announcement is the second boost for Bishop Auckland's fortunes in the past few days.

It follows last week's confirmation from homes and gardens chain Wilkinsons that it plans to move into the town centre later this year.

Wilkinsons is taking over the former Asda supermarket, in the Newgate Centre, in August, creating 80 jobs.

The Asda chain has invested £2m in updating the Newgate Centre, replacing the escalators with glass elevators, installing a new lavatory block and providing an office for the centre manager.

A further £143,000 has been spent on creating more shopping space at the town's Co-op store, which has taken on a new clothing range and added 24 seats to its upstairs restaurant.