THE latest name to join the long list of retailers at Colchester’s Stane Retail Park is taking shape.

Furniture Village announced last week it was moving to the new retail park in Stanway.

It will open on Boxing Day, when many stores are faced with either staying closed to allow staff time off over Christmas, or opening early with a string of cut-price deals to attract customers.

Now, signs have been fixed onto the retail unit as progress continues to be made on the site.

The store is two storeys tall and has 17,800sq ft of retail space.

The commercial director of Furniture Village, Charlie Harrison, said Colchester’s will be the company's 55th store.

He added: “Stane Retail Park is a fantastic shopping destination and the ideal choice for Furniture Village.”

It is estimated that Furniture Village – which employs 1,140 people UK-wide – will create another nine new jobs at its Colchester branch, where it will make use of 17,800sq ft of retail space.

Matt Cloke, a director at Churmanor Estates, the company developing the site, said: “Taking advantage of the full height glazed frontages to three sides, the new showroom is the ideal fit for unit C, and we look forward to seeing [Furniture Village] open before the end of the year.”

The furniture store now joins shops like Marks and Spencer, Mountain Warehouse, Aldi, and B&Q at the retail park.