MAJOR shops in York under the Austin Reed fashion brand will be merged under one roof in the city.

It means that the CC (formerly Country Casuals) store in Feasegate - which also houses the Viyella brand - and Austin Reed in Davygate will operate out of larger premises of about 6,000 sq ft still being sought in the city.

The Feasegate lease is being marketed for transfer with seven years to run.

A spokeswoman for Austin Reed said no jobs would be lost by the one-roof plan and recruitment may even be necessary.

“At the moment we are on the lookout in York for 6,000 sq ft of space for the move. We now have several all-in-one stores all over the country and recently opened one in Manchester. They have proved to be a big success.”

She added that a CC concession at Browns department store in Davygate was unlikely to be affected.

Meanwhile, agents Capital Retail say that even though the Feasegate property had only just been placed on the market, there had been inquiries.

Simon Hill, of Capital Retail, said: “A number of big name chains may have gone into administration recently, but we expect big interest in this property, which benefits from terrific tourism footfall.”

Whoever takes over the lease can expect to pay rent of £92,000 per year with a further review in August 2013, plus rates of £40,269.