THE heart of Kidderminster town centre will receive a welcome boost when a new clothes shop opens in the former Marks & Spencer store.

Madhouse, which sells clothing for both men and women, will open a branch in High Street on Good Friday, April 14.

The site has not been in full-time use since the retail giant moved to Weavers Wharf in 2003, although two shops have had temporary leases.

Property manager for Madhouse, Peter Tesseras, said he believed the new shop would create between 15 and 20 part-time and full-time jobs.

He added it was a "good opportunity" for the company and he believed it would do well in the town.

Peter Picken, chairman of the Town Centre Partnership, said: "It is certainly good news. I just hope it is a long-term project this time because that is one of the prime sites in the traditional part of Kidderminster."

The news came after Worcester Street suffered a blow with the loss of BeWise, due to the QS Group, which owns the brand, going into administration.

Trevor Phillips, spokesman for the administrators, said around seven workers lost their jobs after the shop closed its doors for the final time on Wednesday, last week.

Mr Picken said the closure was "a shame" for that area of the town.

However, he hoped that the area would benefit from the development of the KTC3 site, between Worcester Street and Oxford Street, which has been designated by the council for leisure use, as he felt it would attract other retailers.

Mr Picken continued: "We would like to see the Waitrose site used but, at the moment, there are no companies that we are aware of interested in moving in there."