NATIONAL sofa retailer ScS is looking to conquer Wales on the back of impressive growth across England.

The furniture firm, which has its headquarters in Sunderland, is looking to South Wales to open its first outlet.

The store will be located on one of Wales's premier retail parks, Cardiff Gate, on the outskirts of Cardiff, with good transport links via the M4.

ScS has plans to open further stores in South Wales as part of a large investment.

The group plans to put stores in prime shopping areas close to major towns and cities.

ScS has 52 stores situated throughout the UK.

David Knight, the chief executive of ScS plc, said: "We have been actively looking for a premium site for our first Welsh store for almost a year and wanted to make sure it was the right venue for us.

"Cardiff Gate is one of the busiest retail parks in Wales.

"ScS plans to be trading in 70 stores across the UK by the end of 2004, and plans to open up to a further four to five more stores in this financial year."

The company's first Welsh store will have 11,000 sq ft of air-conditioned retail space.

It is due to open on April 10, ahead of the busy Easter bank holiday trading period.

ScS employs 750 staff and last year reported record preliminary results with a turnover of £97.8m - up 35 per cent year-on-year.