NEW global Danish furniture and homewares store moved into town on Saturday.

The store, part of the JYSK empire is the UK’s fifth and largest outlet for the value for money furniture store and has created 12 new jobs.

Country manager Steven Stenhouse said the company had ambitions to open 500 stores in the UK with around 100 of those within a few miles of the Liverpool to Hull motorway network.

Mr Stenhouse, who has been in Bolton overseeing the new store at the Bolton Gate Retail Park, is optimistic about the success of the brand in the UK.

He said: “It will be a slow burn at first given the economic circumstances but we will open those 100 stores in the next few years and 500 in the UK in the next 20 years.

“The Bolton store will be the biggest so far as it has a mezzanine floor and we think that people in Bolton will really appreciate what we have to offer.

“Bolton is a big town with a good student population and generally people in Bolton love good value shopping.

“We offer good value for money, simple welldesigned furniture with vibrant colours and we are supplying the trends as they are now, not what we think they will be in the future.”

The ongoing British love affair with the clean lines of Scandinavian design could mean that JYSK could become as successful as IKEA.

Most of the furniture will be flat-packed self-assembly units like its Swedish rival as this helps keep shipping transportation costs down.

As one of the world’s biggest retail furniture groups, with more than 1,700 stores in 34 countries, JYSK started to open stores in the UK just two year ago.

The Bolton store, between Carpetright and Hobbycraft, will also be the largest in the country with the most comprehensive stock. Mr Stenhouse, added: “The town was of particular interest given its 111,000 households and fast-growing university community.

“The stores have always had a following with students, those in first-time accommodation and canny shoppers looking to snap up a good quality bargain, perfect for Bolton.”

He said: “We sell a range of beds, mattresses, duvets, towels, textiles, sofas, beds, dining table sets, house wares and garden furniture all at value for money low prices thanks to clever and ethical global purchasing power.”

The company launched in the UK market in April 2008 with four stores and the Bolton store is the first of an important second phase of openings.

JYSK is an international group with around 1,700 shops in 34 countries with more than 15,000 members of staff and a turnover of €2.15 billion.

Every week a minimumof two new JYSK stores are opened.

JYSK was founded by Danish tradesman Lars Larsen in 1979 when he started the company with little money, but now owns a global company, with a €2.15 billion turnover.