A LADIES fashion shop has made the move from Kendal's K Village into Westmorland Shopping Centre.

Klass clothing, established in 1985, is now located at Unit 26A and enjoyed its grand opening last Friday (March 23).

Emma Sloane, the store's visual manager said: "The whole team have worked really hard to set up the new store and we have already had lot's of lovely feedback from our customers. We're excited to welcome more ladies to the store and hope they will enjoy the ranges at Klass."

The move comes in the wake of the results of the South Lakeland Business Premises Survey for 2017, which found that almost a quarter of the 1,143 businesses that took part wanted to change premises in the next three years and that three quarters said they felt 'confident' about the next 12 months.

The survey, which is undertaken by the Invest in South Lakeland economic development team at South Lakeland District Council (SLDC), helps to provide an up-to-date assessment of local business need.

Councillor Graham Vincent, SLDC’s portfolio holder for economy and assets, said: “The results of the survey are very encouraging. One headline figure is that almost 260 local businesses are looking ahead and expecting to move premises, with the majority expecting to increase in size by means of moving, expanding and or acquiring new premises.

“One in every six business owners has indicated that they expect to create more jobs which says a lot about sustained growth and the delivery of real economic success.”

Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that South Lakeland’s economy has become the fastest growing in Cumbria, out-performing neighbouring district authorities and overtaking the cities of Lancaster and Carlisle.

However, elsewhere in the town Westmorland Shopping Centre's branch of GAME has closed its doors.

The Gazette approached GAME to ask why the store had been closed and was told by a spokesperson: "As part of our property strategy over the coming year, GAME will look at any store lease events and decide whether the current locations are a viable option in the current retail climate. If we decide to close a store, we will look at other feasible opportunities locally."