A MAJOR bed store is coming to Dorchester as the town continues to show signs of weathering the economic storm.

Dreams is set to open up at Sherborne Land’s retail park off Weymouth Avenue just weeks after Allied Carpets closed their store.

The Dorset Echo reported recently how new independent businesses in Dorchester meant more shops had opened than closed in the last year.

Sherborne Land’s chief executive David Stapleton said the news of Dreams’ arrival was a further boost for the county town’s economy.

The Dreams store will create four new jobs for the area, with the store employing around 20 staff in total.

Mr Stapleton said he was delighted that, after the Allied Carpets chain went into administration and the Dorchester store was forced to close in August, he was able to announce new tenants for the site just weeks later.

He said said: “Everywhere else landlords and shop owners are saying rents are falling and they have got empty shops everywhere but we have let this at an increased rent and salvaged something from the demise of Allied Carpets.”

Mr Stapleton added that Dreams had been planning a store in West Dorset for a while and had found the ideal site for their venture.

He said: “Dreams have been looking for a store in this area for a while, they have been looking at Weymouth and Dorchester and they haven’t been able to find anything quite right.

“We are told it’s something they have been looking at for at least four years.”

A spokesman for Dreams said the new store was part of their national expansion plan and they hoped to be open by October 23.

She said: “This is all part of our important expansion plans and it’s very exciting when we open in a new town and a new area.”

Sherborne Land’s development at Bridport Road has also been good news for the Dorchester job market, with the Sainsbury’s store that opened in March employing around 25 people and the neighbouring Carpetright store employing between 10 and 15.

Mr Stapleton said he was also looking at more projects in the town, which he says had a ‘sense of vibrancy’ amidst the current economic gloom.

He said: “We are actually looking at other projects because we have got a long list of people looking to come in.”