Five new stores have opened at Eastbourne's new £85 million retail and leisure extension, signalling the delivery of phase one works.

Legal & General is completing the project as part of its £220m retail and leisure scheme.

The former Eastbourne Arndale Centre has been officially rebranded as The Beacon, and will help create a further 570 jobs for the area.

Schuh, New Look, Flying Tiger and Paperchase have opened their doors, following on from Next, H&M and Fat Face which opened in October. Jack Wills is due to open in early December with further plans in place for Premier League football club Brighton & Hove Albion to launch a temporary shop until 23 December.

The second phase of the extension will be launched in April 2019, when Cineworld, Ask, Nandos, Chiquitos, Frankie & Benny's and high-end jeweller, Brufords, will open for trade.

To date, agreements have been exchanged on over 70% of the total extension floor area.

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Michael Barrie, Head of Fund Management at LGIM Real Assets, said: "LGIM Real Assets has a long-term track record of regenerating towns and cities across the UK and has a depth of experience in creating unique retail and leisure destinations. Creating and improving a retail destination is more than just carrying out a refurbishment. It is about understanding the needs of the local area and working hand in hand with local authorities and occupiers to ensure a holistic transformation can take place within the wider town.

"Eastbourne has shown real loyalty to their town centre and its development. As a result our scheme already dominates its catchment with continued strong footfall numbers each year. The new retail and leisure extension will complement the existing centre, which has been successfully trading with the likes of Primark, River Island, Pandora, Arcadia, Boots and Sainsbury's, with both Wilko's and Deichmann now also open for trade. The expanded tenant mix and range of uses will only cement The Beacon further as the retail and leisure destination of choice in the local area."

Eastbourne MP Stephen Lloyd added: "The opening of another five brand new shops, the linkway bringing together the extension and our established shopping centre, along with the formal changeover from the Arndale Centre to The Beacon, is a profound moment for our town. It is as clear a sign as possible at just how well we are doing, and how positively investors see the town's future. And they're right to do so. I am absolutely certain our wonderful new shopping centre will draw tens of thousands of new visitors to Eastbourne."

(CM/MH)