A COLCHESTER town centre department store could reopen as a Primark, its owners have confirmed.

Townrow closed in the old Vergo store in November after three years, leaving 20 employees jobless.

Now the 20,000 sq ft space is on the market with independent property consultants Jamieson Mills and all offers will be considered.

But owners, the East of England Co-op, have said the popular budget clothing superstore is high on their list.

Nick Denny, executive officer of property, at the Co-op, said: “We’re working hard to attract interest from leading retailers across the UK to the building.

“This well-located, spacious and versatile building has great potential for a wide range of retailers. Clearly, a business such as Primark would be a huge asset to the town and one we are keen to pursue.

“However, we are eager to receive expressions of interest from all interested parties to ensure we can secure the best deal possible.”

The move has been welcomed by businesses in the town.

Ron Levy, secretary of Colchester Retail Business Association, said a popular store such as Primark would “without doubt” increase the number of visitors to the town centre. He added: “I think with Primark, the number of extra people it would attract would be a very, very good trade-off.

“I would say there would be some benefit to retailers if a large shop brought more people to the town.” Mr Levy, a barber, added: “I talk to people a lot in my business and I am always hearing ‘if there was a Primark here, I would come to the town centre much more often’.”

He also encouraged the Coop to act fast as “it is always better to have an open shop rather than a closed one”.

A Primark spokesman said it did not wish to comment on new store plans.

The nearest Primark stores to Colchester are in Ipswich and Chelmsford.