THE first phase of a £6m out-of-town retail park at Stockton has been completed.

Chartered surveyors Sanderson Townend and Gilbert have now fully let the units at Lustrum Retail Park in Portrack Lane.

The 27,000sqft site is at the heart of bulky goods retailing on Teesside and within 20 minutes' drive of an estimated 1m people.

Developed by Commercial Development Projects of West Yorkshire, the park is now occupied by Michael O'Connor (Furniture), Portrack Lane Bed Centre and Floors 2 Go.

"It means we have now let more than 200,000sq ft of retail space in the Portrack Lane area alone, which is great news for the economic vibrancy of the region," said Andrew Wilkinson of Sanderson Townend and Gilbert.

The Michael O'Connor store is 20,000 sq ft and devoted to bedroom, cabinet and leather furniture.

Robert Stevens, managing director, said: "It represents to us a £250,000 investment and we have eight new faces on site. It is working very well and we are hoping for a £2m annual turnover. We feel we are going to be here a long time."

Floors 2 Go is a national chain with 100 stores across the country, a number expected to rise to 200 by the end of 2004. It has seven staff at the new 5,500sq ft store which specialises in laminate, solid wood, hardwood and flooring accessories.

Portrack Lane Bed Centre will open its new 18,800sq ft store next month and is recruiting staff. The multi-million pound, family-run business employs more than 60 people at stores in Newcastle, Sunderland and Darlington.

Phase two of Lustrum Retail Park will involve 8,000sq ft for bulky goods retail fronting Portrack Lane, and a trade park at the rear with units of about 5,000sq ft.