SHOPPERS in March now have another store to buy Christmas presents after a discount department firm opened its doors this morning.

Staff at Boyes gathered round manager Sharon Lee as she cut the ribbon in the inauguration ceremony at the store, previously occupied by Anglia Co-operative’s Westgate.

Andrew Boyes, the company’s chairman and joint managing director, welcomed the opening of the Station Road shop, the first Boyes to feature in Cambridgeshire.

He said: “The building was offered to us, we did our homework, and even though it’s an unusual shape for a retail store it’s in a great location.

“I think Boyes will offer shoppers something new and attractive while bringing plenty of different products to the town.”

The Westgate store closed in August after 30 years of trading in the town and 25 jobs were lost as a result. Anglia Co-operative said it had taken the decision to close because the shop was “no longer economically viable” to run in the town.

The 130-year-old Scarborough-based company - which sells a range of more than 30,000 different products - already operates 40 stores across the country.