YORK'S designer shopping explosion continued today, as the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet announced a £5 million redevelopment project.

The 23,000 sq ft makeover of the centre's west wing - which currently houses the At Home shopping area - will create 3,000 sq ft of new retail space, bringing 50 new jobs.

A new 10,000 sq ft "anchor" store will be added to the complex.

It follows a growing trend for fashion retailers to flock to York. Earlier this month, the Evening Press reported that top designer store Whistles was opening in Stonegate, and speculation has been rife that Harvey Nichols might move to York - a rumour the company would not confirm, though a spokeswoman said: "York would definitely be of interest to us."

Coast will soon unveil a store in Davygate, and yesterday Morgan opened the doors to its new outlet in Coney Street.

Zara and H&M are other recent additions to the city's burgeoning retail sector.

Work at the designer outlet - sited at the A64/A19 interchange, near Fulford - starts at the end of April.

It is expected to be finished by early November. The rest of the centre will be unaffected and trading will continue as normal.

The centre will also change its name at the end of the month to York Designer Outlet, to highlight its links with the city centre.

General manager Colin Wilding said: "We're making better use of the space we've already got, to give us a more effective retail focus.

"By creating individual units we are providing an improved environment for our customers.

"Also, the new anchor tenant, which we will announce shortly, will be a great addition to our portfolio of high-quality brands.

"We want to reassure customers that there will be no disruption within the centre throughout the development, as the whole section will be boarded off and noise kept to a minimum."

Adam Sinclair, chairman of York Business Pride, said: "The designer outlet's redevelopment will be a great boost for jobs and the economy in the area.

"It's also a mark of McArthurGlen's ongoing commitment to quality retail within York."

The centre has more than 115 stores and covers more than 350,000 sq ft.

A report by leading retail analysts Javelin recently named the outlet the designer destination of the North.

The report gave each shopping destination in the UK an average score based on the quality of its retailers.

The presence of high fashion names such as Paul Smith, Armani Collections and Karen Millen put the York centre fourth in the overall national ranking.

Only Knightsbridge, Regent Street and the King's Road - all in London - topped the outlet's score.

Updated: 09:28 Thursday, March 30, 2006