SHOPS and stores in Bolton and Horwich say they are not worried by a planned £70 million expansion of the Trafford Centre.

The Barton Square development will be an open air complex linked to the existing shopping and leisure centre by a glass bridge.

Construction will start shortly on an additional 200,000 square feet of retail space and is expected to be completed by early 2007.

There will be an additional 630 free parking spaces and the complex will target the home market with units offering furniture, kitchens, bathrooms, home furnishings and other goods currently not available at the Trafford Centre.

Mike Butterworth, managing director at the Trafford Centre, said: "The Barton Square concept is just going to market, so as yet we have not finalised any contracts, although we are in advance negotiations with a handful of key potential tenants."

But Bolton town centre manager Cathy Savage said that the new development would not present an additional challenge for retailers here.

She said: "The Trafford Centre is not really our main competitor. It only takes about six per cent of the towns trade.

"Our main competition comes from Manchester city centre, and we are confident that we are meeting that challenge head on with the new retail developments taking place here in the town."

Bosses at Middlebrook Retail Park in Horwich were equally unconcerned.

Last week, Marks and Spencer was granted planning permission for a new store at the centre.

Paul Burgess, director of Orbit Investments, which owns Middlebrook said: "We are fairly sanguine about this new development.

"Although the planning seems to suggest that there will be more bulky goods similar to what we offer at Middlebrook, we are serving a different market.

"As long as we keep refreshing what Middlebrook has to offer, it will continue to be a success.

"I would have been more concerned if we had not had a favourable decision regarding Marks and Spencer, but that has given us a good opportunity to serve a strong, changing market."

Almost 30 million people now visit the Trafford Centre every year.