THE first phase of a £6m out of town retail park has been completed, bringing jobs and investment to the region.

Chartered surveyor Sanderson Townend and Gilbert has let all of the units at Lustrum Retail Park, Portrack Lane, Stockton.

The 27,000sq ft site is at the heart of bulky goods retailing on Teesside and within 20 minutes drive of an estimated one million people.

Developed by Commercial Development Projects, of West Yorkshire, the park is occupied by Michael O'Connor (Furniture) Ltd, 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 Sanderson Townend and Gilbert's Andrew Wilkinson.

"We are expecting the Lustrum Retail Park to attract custom from all over the region. In fact, more than 2.7 million people live within an hour's drive of this excellent development."

Managing director of Michael O'Connor (Furniture) Robert Stevens said his firm realised that if it wanted to increase turnover it had to expand, and Lustrum Park seemed ideal.

His store is 20,000sq ft, devoted to bedroom, cabinet and leather furniture and boasting a feature staircase and mezzanine floor.

He 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, which is expected to rise to 200 by the end of next year.

Seven staff at the 5,500sq ft flagship store specialise in laminate, solid wood and hardwood flooring, along with a host of accessories.

Portrack Lane Bed Centre will open in November and the firm is now recruiting staff. The multi-million pound family-run business employs more than 60 people at stores in Newcastle, Sunderland and Darlington.

The 18,000sq ft Lustrum store will be the first to be opened on an out of town retail park. General manager Colin Heal said: "It's an exciting development for us.

"It is a new retail environment that will allow our customers easy access from the local transport network and allow them to park outside."

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