Three new openings welcome boost for Parkway

Animal is the latest store to draw in the customers to the Newbury shopping area.
It joined newbies Monsoon and Accessorize, which opened earlier this month.
The sporty fashion store, located next to Debenhams, was officially opened on Saturday and a range of money-off vouchers were handed out in celebration, while the first 50 customers also received reusable Enjoy not Destroy bags.
The store, which had occupied a unit in Northbrook Street before leaving the town several years ago, stocks a range of male, female and children’s clothing, as well as footwear, luggage, eyewear and accessories.
The regional manager for Animal, Cat Orman, said the opening was a great success.
“It was really good,” she said. “We had a lot of people coming into the store saying how good it was to have animal back in Newbury.
“We had a really good response from the general public and hopefully it continues to be successful.”
The opening created six new jobs locally, and a store manager is still being sought.
Accessorize and Monsoon closed down their stores in Northbrook Street recently and moved to a larger, single unit in Middle Street.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony by the store’s manager, Sioban Hobbs, declared it officially open yesterday (Wednesday) and the first guests through the door were offered complimentary cupcakes and flutes of champagne.
Ms Hobbs said: “The team are really excited and we couldn’t wait to open the doors.
“I think it looks fantastic and I’m sure the customers will agree.”
Project manager Carys Jackson said she believed its new location would attract more customers.
“It is in a fantastic location in an exciting new area,” she said. “We are surrounded by top brands and I think that people will be impressed with what we can offer.”