Sports Direct has opened its new store in Chorley's Market Walk today

The sportswear retailer is the latest addition to the new part of Market Walk, where it joins M&S Foodhall, Reel Cinema, the Escape Entertainment venue (featuring ten pin bowling and mini golf) and Calico Lounge restaurant.

The store's normal opening times will be Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm and Sunday, 10.30am to 4.30pm.

The Post revealed plans for a Sports Direct store at the retail site nearly a year ago, following a Chorley Council planning meeting on January 21.

Chorley Council then confirmed the plans in late August after Sports Direct agreed to a 10-year lease on two vacant units within the £17million extension of the Market Walk retail complex.

Once the deal was finalised, Cllr Peter Wilson, deputy leader of Chorley Council, said: "We’re excited to welcome Sports Direct and USC to Chorley and look forward to the store’s opening before the end of the year.

"The addition of Sports Direct and USC will be another boost for our town centre. People have said they’d like to see more clothes shops in Chorley, and this will help provide this offer.

"Big brand names like this, combined with our existing traders, will attract people to Chorley town centre instead shopping out of town."

Sports Direct will share its 7,600 sq ft unit with street-wear and fashion retailer USC, also owned by Mike Ashley's Fraser Group, who will occupy 800 sq ft of the store at the council-owned shopping centre.

A spokesman for Frasers Group said: "This is a major part of Sports Direct’s brand elevation strategy that will see a huge investment in a number of new stores, while upgrading and improving existing ones across the UK."

Before opening its doors in Chorley today, shoppers had to travel to Middlebrook Retail Park in Bolton or Robin Park in Wigan to visit their nearest Sports Direct store.

Another restaurant group had reportedly been in advanced negotiations with Chorley Council with plans to move into one of the remaining units, but this has not been confirmed by the local authority.

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