SHOPPERS in Basingstoke are being encouraged to support plethora of new businesses opening their doors in the town centre.

While other high streets around the country are seeing stores close, Basingstoke will welcome seven new shops selling homeware goods, health foods and Italian delicacies, to name just a few of the offerings.

Five of the seven businesses will open in Festival Place, to the delight of shopping centre bosses.

A Festival Place (FP) spokesperson reacted to the new openings and said: "Spring is well and truly in the air at FP with all the newness we have at the centre.

"We’re so excited to have so many new brands open here with even some of our existing brands scaling up to bigger premises and investing in refurbishing their stores. It’s a really positive feeling."

SEE ALSO: Festival Place in Basingstoke placed in receivership

Mark Jones, partnerships manager at Destination Basingstoke, a group that promotes the local business community, has shared his excitement about the new stores – encouraging shoppers to back these ventures.

He said: "It’s great to see new retailers coming into town, and particularly promising to see Festival Place attracting several new outlets – a vibrant town centre is good news for everyone in Basingstoke and Deane. Let’s hope that local people support these new arrivals as this is the key way they will thrive and prosper."

Søstrene Grene, a haven for Danish homeware and lifestyle goods, will be making its Hampshire debut later this year at Festival Place, in the former Zara unit. 

UK Joint Venture partners, Norma Jacob and Richard Power, who run Søstrene Grene stores across Northern Ireland, Southern England and Scotland, previously said they is looking forward to the new store opening.

Ms Jacob added: “We are thrilled to announce the upcoming opening of our Basingstoke location. Festival Place is ideal for our first Hampshire store and we look forward to joining the exciting retail offering already available.”

Also taking up an empty unit in the shopping centre is Grape Tree, offering ‘feel-good’ health food it will open on Friday, April 26.

Founder Nick Shutts said: “We are delighted to be opening at Festival Place.

"We are looking forward to bringing our Grape Tree feel good food message to Basingstoke and to welcoming new faces into the store.”

Aimy Beauty is another business that is joining the shopping centre, filling the unit previously occupied by children's hairdressers His and Kids.

Familiar faces are getting a fresh start too. Festival Street Kitchen, a favourite since its 2016 opening, has relocated from the outdoors of Festival Place into a refurbished space within the shopping centre in the former Tony and Guy and Bhavi Beauty units. 

El Bigote, the popular Mexican food truck formerly found in Festival Square, is also taking root inside the shopping centre premises, occupying the old Festival Street Kitchen unit.

Outside Festival Place, Da Mariu, a new Italian-style coffee shop offering pizza, pasta, and deli delights, is preparing to open soon in Wote Street.

H&T Pawnbrokers is another exciting addition, taking over an empty unit near Trilby's barbershop and hairdressers.