The countdown is on for the opening of the £90 million shopping complex at Monks Cross.

The 260,000 square foot development, to be officially opened on September 19 by top designer and TV star Jeff Banks, has attracted many of the country's leading retail stores. The opening of stores will be phased, with many of the units opening for business on September 10.

Developer Martin Richardson said: "We are pleased to be associated with York and to be able to provide this fantastic new shopping centre. We feel we are responding to customer needs and do no see this as a threat to other stores, merely an addition."

New occupiers at the shopping park include HMV, Sports Soccer and Textiles World - each taking 10,000 square feet of space - while Burger King has just taken the first of the restaurant units. Bhs and Next both have units under offer.

HMV's new flagship music store - opening on September 11 - will offer more than 5,000 rock and pop titles, as well as 2,500 videos, singles and computer games, and decks for DJs to check out the tunes before they buy.

More specialist tastes are catered for in the soul, rap, reggae, blues and world music departments, and there is an exclusive HMV Classics Collection for the classical connoisseur.

The store will bring ten new jobs to the area.

HMV dismissed the idea that the new store would take business away from its existing city centre store in Coney Street.

A spokesman for the company said: "We have carried out much research into the opening of out-of-town stores and it has become clear that there's a different market to be exploited there. We do not believe one will affect the other."

This view was echoed by Mr Richardson. He said: "We regard Monks Cross as a complement to the York shops, rather than a rival.

Customers like the free car parking and the choice of shops, and we expect visitors to York to include us in their trip to the city."

Other retailers at Monks Cross include PC World, Boots the Chemist, Laura Ashley, The Outfit, Top Shop and Clark's. Woolworth's will open its first out-of-town store on the site.

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