A NEW store is opening in York as a clothing brand launches its first branch in the city in a former jewellery shop.

Cotswold-based clothing brand Weird Fish is opening in Stonegate on May 7 after choosing York as the location for its 12th UK retail store.

The company said it chose the site due to Stonegate's reputation as "York’s prime retail district" and "one of the most attractive and architecturally-varied streets in the city".

Weird Fish will open in the former Fillans and Sons shop, previously home to the long-established, independent jewellery shop specialising in diamond rings and wedding bands.

It will sit alongside White Stuff and The Body Shop and in close proximity to The White Company, Whistles, Jigsaw and Joules, covering a ground floor sales area of around 800 square ft.

John Stockton, managing director at Weird Fish, said: "We believe the York store will be a great addition to our portfolio of stores and stockists.

"While there are already Weird Fish shops in Lincolnshire, Castleford in West Yorkshire and Livingston in Scotland, we’re very excited to be expanding our reach in the north."

Weird Fish stores are predominantly located in the south and are popular in holiday destinations including Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and Bath. The opening of the York store will coincide with the start of the brand’s busy holiday retail season.