intu's Trafford Centre in Manchester is to undergo a £74million transformation.

The firm also confirmed Primark has signed up as the first new tenant.

Primark's newest store will anchor an expanded and refreshed Barton Square which is set to gain another 110,000 sq ft of extra retail space, a new glass-domed roof and a fully redesigned interior under intu's plans.

The unit will incorporate space previously occupied by BHS Home and is set to open in 2019.

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Colin Flinn, regional managing director for intu, said: "This is a significant milestone for intu Trafford Centre that will enable us to reposition and redevelop an important part of the centre so that we can create even better customer experiences and more opportunities for retailers to flourish.

"intu Trafford Centre is already one of the UK’s prime retail and leisure destinations and known around the world for its unique design and architecture which was celebrated in a BBC Radio 4 arts documentary earlier this year. The work we are planning at Barton Square will attract more visitors for longer by expanding the centre's retail and leisure mix and creating a new space befitting this architecturally-rich building."

Work is due to start on site during the first half of next year.

(CD)