A FAMILY-run store is set to unveil its £3 million expansion, which owners hope will help boost the local economy.

Barkers Furnishing Store, on Yafforth Road, Northallerton, will hold the official opening on Saturday, March 19, and reveal its new name – Barkers Home.

The existing store has been expanded by 20,000sq ft to 60,000sq ft to create a section for contemporary furniture, a new cookshop and gifts section and bigger linens department. There has also been a revamp of the first-floor bedroom furniture and soft furnishings section.

The store employs 45 staff, but the extension will create up to 15 new full- and part-time jobs. The owners hope the it will mark renewed confidence in the Northallerton economy following one of the worst retail recessions in history.

Ian Barker, director, said: "We hope this will draw in shoppers from outside the area and encourage them to spend time and money in Northallerton.

“We obtained planning permission to carry out this expansion just before the financial crash and, if we hadn’t had the recession, this redevelopment would have happened sooner.

“Now there is much more confidence surrounding the economy among consumers and retailers. This is a sign of our commitment to Northallerton as we plan to be around for many years to come.

"This has been a major project for us and the biggest development in Barkers' history since the furnishing store opened."

The building work, which began in May, is being carried out by Darlington-based Wharton Construction, another family business, which has worked for Barkers for the past ten years.