Australian lifestyle, home and tech brand Harvey Norman is set to open its second store in England and a new UK head office in the West Midlands.

The furniture retailer, which already has stores in Northern Ireland, will take on a 53,000 sq ft premise at Gracechurch shopping centre in Royal Sutton Coldfield, which has been vacant since the closure of BHS in 2016.

Under the expansion, the company is expected to create up to 100 jobs across sales, marketing, online, finance, procurement, operations, warehousing, administration and management, including several apprenticeship opportunities.

It comes as Harvey Norman made its English debut with a flagship store at Merry Hill shopping centre in October.

The 57,000 sq ft site houses a range of luxury furniture, including sofas, dining sets, bedroom suites and mattresses, as well as an assortment of smaller items including kitchenware.

The Merry Hill store represents the first in a series of planned investments across the West Midlands, supporting the business’ wider UK and global expansion plans.

Harvey Norman is also in advanced negotiations regarding a series of further investment opportunities in the West Midlands, expected to lead to an additional 200 jobs.

Harvey Norman CEO Katie Page said: “The West Midlands’ high grade retail space and exceptional connectivity are two key reasons why we’ve chosen Sutton Coldfield as the home of our new UK headquarters and to launch our next store here.

“Gracechurch will provide an excellent hub for our growing UK team and I look forward to returning to the region soon as we progress our expansion plans.”

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