THE latest stage of the £40m regeneration project at the Swindon Outlet Centre’s Long Shop was officially unveiled yesterday.

A Vintage Fashion Festival took up residence at the venue, to mark the opening and will run until May 17.

The relaunch of the Long Shop, which was formerly part of the Great Western Railway Works, comes as the centre announced a like-for-like sales increase of 10 per cent over the past 12 months, with 20 per cent like-for-like growth over the past five years.

The Grade II listed Long Shop — once one of the world’s most famous railway factories and home to thousands of workers — is now home to some of the most sought-after UK names in womenswear with 14 new brands opening in the past six months, including Monsoon, Coast and Ghost.

The new site will also see 350 new jobs created, taking the total workers at the centre to 1,100.

Tina Cumpstey, centre manager at the McArthurGlen Swindon Designer Outlet centre, said: “The Long Shop refurbishment and advanced centre renovation has enabled us to enhance our shopping experience as a premium, high-quality destination.

“What better way to celebrate the beautiful restoration of this integral piece of Swindon’s history than with the launch of a vintage festival that champions the everlasting quality of fashion?”

The opening of the Long Shop is the first extension of Swindon Designer Outlet since 1999 and is part of an extensive investment to create an even greater offer for local shoppers with 250,000 sq ft of retail space and 123 stores.

As part of the investment, a new food quarter, unique event space and one-of-a-kind play area were also created to cement the centre’s position as one of the leading shopping destinations in South West England.

Deb Heenan, CEO of Forward Swindon, the economic growth and regeneration company for the town, welcomed the development.

“The opening of more high-quality shopping and eating options in our historic railway quarter is proving very popular with residents and workers all over Swindon,” she said.

“We are proud that Swindon has been chosen for such a major investment.”

Built in the 1870s, the Long Shop forms part of the Grade II-listed Great Western Railway Works, a conservation area. The works closed in 1986. The first phase of the Long Shop redevelopment saw the redesign of the existing Food Quarter and the launch of two new restaurants, which opened earlier this year.