A FAMILY-owned Colchester furniture business will create five jobs when it takes over a recently-closed store.

Hatfields Furnishers is to move into the former Co-op store in Peartree Road, Stanway.

The firm decided to move its Hatfields2Go! Budget & Clearance arm into a bigger premises across the road because of increasing demand.

The shop, formerly Vergo and before that a Co-Op store, will be re-branded as Hatfields Budget and Clearance Outlet.

Robert London, marketing and merchandise director, said: “We took the opportunity to visit the Far East to buy containers of competitively-priced and exclusive merchandise – these have proved very popular. We needed more space to show these additional ranges, and when the opportunity to acquire the former Co-op unit arose, we knew this was the right move to make.”

As well as the five extra jobs, one of the former employees at Vergo, who was taken on by Hatfields when the shop closed in May, will be moving over and working at his former base.

The owners are now looking forward to being able to offer more to customers.

Finance director Malcolm Durbridge said it was hoped other companies would be opening small outlets within the store, which is expected to open on Saturday, December 4.

The large Vergo store in Long Wyre Street, Colchester, formerly the East of England Co-operative store, is still empty after shutting its doors in June.