Excitement is building up ahead of the grand opening of a new designer store that "will bring something different" to a Nottinghamshire town.
The owner of a family business that has been running clothing stores across Derbyshire is looking to open a new unit in Arnold.
Ben Storey, who has been running Fort Casuals with his fiancé since 2017, said the business has grown over the years and claims it is now "one of the biggest independent shops in the Midlands."
The store, located on Rolleston Drive, will sell designer sportswear, casual and smart men's clothing.
Ahead of its opening in the upcoming weeks, Mr Storey said: "We take inspiration from both football and music.
"The brands that we will be featuring in Arnold are Fila, Sergio Tacchini, Elles, and Luke."
Speaking of how he built his successful business, Mr Storey added: "I have been a retailer for nearly 20 years now.
"We started this business five years ago in Derbyshire and then it grew and expanded.
"We initially started with a unit that we thought was too big for us", he added. "And now we have got a 5000 square foot in Ripley across different shops."
The store in Arnold will be the first unit in Nottinghamshire.
Mr Storey added: "We had people travelling from Nottinghamshire to our shops in Derbyshire all the time, so it was clear that we had a big customer base here.
"There is not really anyone else offering what we do specifically aimed at the classic casual brands which are based on music and football."
He also said that he is looking to open a second store in Hucknall "very soon".
"We have taken on a very small, modest unit - we are not a company with a business plan that heads to city centres", Mr Storey added.
"We are based on the outskirts.
"I think the business rates in the city centre are tough, so I think that if you have got a strong enough brand you can bring people to you.
"Our business plan will never change - we will always be in a good location in a town, with a good catchment area."
The move has been welcomed by people in the town.
Christine Gardener, 77, a resident in the area, has voiced her excitement and added: “I think it’s a good idea.
"We need something like that. We’ve got too many takeaways so to have something different is good.
"I hope it takes off.”
Daniel Harrison, 36, works in Arnold and said he would be interested in what the shop has to offer.
He added: “I would be interested in it. A lot of people would tend to use it, where I work anyway.
"It’ll be interesting. I expect it will bring more people to this area.”
However, not everyone is as excited.
Caroline Tia, from Arnold, 56, said: “I don’t think it will be successful here, which is a shame. I don’t think it’s right for this area because it’s just outside of Arnold.
"What suits here is a paper shop, a convenience store and takeaways.”
Charlie Tia, 68, added: “Arnold’s going downhill now anyway. People won’t be interested in it.”
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