Hamleys returning to York after 17 years

Hamleys, the 240-year-old London toy store, has started recruiting for a new branch at the McArthur Glen retail outlet.

It's not the first time the store has opened a branch in the city.

In 1987 it opened its first out-of-London store in Coney Street, in place of department store Leak and Thorp, only to close again less than 12 months later.

Now bosses plan to only open a factory outlet-style store temporarily for the busy Christmas period between November and January.

Len Cruddas, chief executive of York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the news.

He said: "It's a very positive thing. I think it's always good news when we attract the high profile names to the city, whether it's in the centre or at a retail outlet."

A Hamleys' spokeswoman confirmed that the store would open over Christmas, but declined to give further details.

But an advert for staff states: "We are delighted to be able to offer customers in York the opportunity to experience that famous Hamleys magic and to purchase from a wide variety of toys and games all at significant discount."

Bosses are looking for staff with a passion for toys, good customer service and the ability to deliver "Hamleys magic".

Hamleys has a flagship store in Regent Street, London, with seven floors of toys worth everything from £1 to tens of thousands of pounds.

The McArthur Glen store will be the latest in a string of regional shops that already includes Swindon, Newcastle, Essex and Heathrow airport.

The ill-fated Coney Street store closed in 1988 with the loss of 34 jobs, despite reports of flourishing business and speculation about a second branch.

The parent company was later put on the market for £40m and the York premises sold to high street clothing giant Next.

Recent new additions to McArthur Glen include clothes shop Ben Sherman, while men's designer Arrow has announced plans to open a store soon.

Updated: 10:12 Tuesday, October 18, 2005