THE former Woolworths store in the centre of Teignmouth is being taken over by one of the giants of the high street.
The country's largest carpet retailer, Carpetright, is due to open in the large Bank Street premises in two weeks.
The arrival allays fears that the prominent building, in the heart of the trading area, could remain closed and boarded up for some time.
Liam Broderick, regional sales manager for Carpetright, said it had acquired quite a few Woolworths' stores across the country, including Dartmouth and Seaton.
'The one in Teignmouth is ideal because it has such a good position in the town. We believe Teignmouth has a positive future, and we are pleased to be opening an in-town store because that will help the vibrancy of the shopping centre.
'We have recruited five staff, and four of them are from MFI, which closed recently, so they have a lot of experience in the home furnishing sector.'
Mr Broderick said the new store, which will open on Saturday, March 28, would be a showroom stocking a wide range of carpets and rugs.
'We realise that it is tough on the high street at the moment with a lot of closures, but we are the market leaders and aim to grow our share through keen pricing and good service.
'We listen to our customers and try and give them what they want.'
Carpetright is a PLC with more than 60 outlets in the UK and Ireland, and several in Holland, Belgium and Poland.
Last year it had a turnover of £237 million.
Brenda Battershill, chairman of the town's traders' association, said the news was good for Teignmouth.
'We are pleased that it is a major player with a good reputation because it will encourage more people to shop in the town,' she said.
'There is nothing worse than shops staying empty and dilapidated, because it creates a bad atmosphere that has a detrimental effect on other retailers.'
Teignmouth's mayor, Cllr Fred Tooley, said: 'It was a great blow to lose Woolworths, but the fact that a leading national chain has confidence in the future of our town is brilliant.'