THE owners of a luxury gifts and home decor outfit say they have been tempted to set up shop in Bolton by a new independent traders initiative.

Cheshire set retailer Gift + Home is the latest arrival to be announced for Market Place shopping centre.

And bosses say what attracted them to branch out from their traditional home in Altrincham and neighbouring Hale was the centre's KISS project.

Keep It So Simple (KISS) was launched by centre owners Moorgarth last November, in association with their Edinburgh-based architects, to create accommodation which works for ambitious entrepreneurs.

Like Gift + Home it might enable a company to test the water in a new market - or for others it could see their frist bricks and mortar presence.

Louise Duerr, who established the Trafford giftware emporium in 2014, has high hopes for their arrival on the upper floor of the mall.

She said: "Bolton is a fantastic location for us, being so close to Manchester and providing a quality shopping experience, yet without the same traffic and parking issues.

"We stock a fabulous range of contemporary, stylish and quirky gifts, cards and homewares and literally have something for everyone - from hard to buy for men to babies and everyone in between - including the dog.

"From November we will also have a fantastic Christmas collection, including wonderful decorations to make your festive home super stylish."

Their trading life, also incorporating the website giftandhome.co.uk, began in Hale village before they secured premises in Altrincham town centre's Stamford Quarter.

Nikki Wilson-Cook, Market Place manager, said: "We're delighted to welcome Gift + Home to Market Place. They offer something truly different and the timing couldn’t be better with Christmas on the way.

"Our Project KISS unit has been launched to help independent retailers to make their mark in the area without the usual overheads . It's an exciting concept and we wish Gift + Home a successful period of trade at our centre."

The launch enterprises for KISS included Swinton-based Roscoe's Cakes and Quinn's Hampers.

Alison Stewart, Moorgarth's asset manager, said before the launch: "What we have always seen at Market Place is a strong demand from local independent retailers to engage and grow their businesses within our mall.

"We are now able to do this with a focus of efforts in one environment, as well as improve the consistency in look and feel. We are providing 'one cost' deals for our retailers in this space which subsequently allows them to focus on growing their businesses and build a strong following."