A MAJOR retailer has started advertising for staff in Welshpool as it plans to open a new store in the town.

The Original Factory Shop has posted a series of vacancies on its website, including for a store manager and an assistant manager, as well as a number of shop floor roles.

But it has remained tight-lipped on the location of the shop, amid reports it could move into the former Sainsbury's store which shut down last year.

A spokesperson from The Original Factory Shop said: “We have not confirmed any plans at this stage."

The jobs listed on its own portal on its website reference the Welshpool store as a new opening.

The Original Factory Shop was established in 1969 as part of Peter Black’s retail network. It is a discount department store with branches all over the country, with departments covering homewares as well as men's and women's clothing.

Last year, the Burnley-based retailer that said it was launching an ambitious plan to open 50 new stores across the UK to add to its chain of 166 currently operating.

Welshpool is currently crying out for investment into its high street which has been ravaged by the impact of more than two years of lockdown restrictions with national chains Sainsbury's, WH Smiths and Savers all having shut, with Savers the latest to close its doors last weekend.

The job ads on The Original Factory Shop's website give an expiry date of July 4, suggesting that the shop is looking into putting together a sales workforce relatively soon.