Retail tycoon Mike Ashley has opened the doors to a new department store in London, showing off what he initially envisioned to be the future of high-end department store House of Fraser.
The billionaire welcomed thousands of visitors to his new flagship Flannels branch, which will stock dozens of designer labels in the heart of Oxford Street.
It's part of a £10million project that will introduce a new design concept created by Italian studio Pconp in partnership with artist Riccardo Previdi.
And, mirroring the likes of Selfridges and Liberty of London, it'll shelve luxury brands such as Gucci, Tom Ford, Balmain and Saint Laurent.
In honour of its former site, the Marquee Club, the store will also host a DJ nights in store every Thursday and Saturday, offering shoppers an opportunity to see up and coming DJs perform each week.
Speaking on opening day, bosses revealed further plans to open 16 more branches in the next year, "creating 1000s of jobs across the UK including towns such as York, Chester and Solihull".
There are already 42 branches in the UK - including in Liverpool, Birmingham, Cardiff and Nottingham.
In 2012, sportswear giant Sports Direct bought a majority 51% stake in Flannels, which has been on the high street since 1976.
In September 2017, Ashley acquired the brand in full - a move that was followed in 2018 by the acquisition of rival House of Fraser for £90million.
At the time, Ashley said his plan was to turn the 59-store chain in to the "Harrods of the High Street".
However, after dozens of closures, the billionaire later hinted at his regret over the takeover.
After describing the chain's fate as "terminal" , he said: "If we had the gift of hindsight we might have made a different decision in August 2018."
