AFTER months of speculation the Daily Echo can reveal the major fashion brand moving into a Hampshire shopping centre.

Clothing retailer H&M is to open a large two-level store in Eastleigh’s Swan Centre in a move that will create around 30 new jobs.

Swan Centre bosses have spent the past six months working with contractors to ready the space for H&M to take over.

A 15-year lease has been agreed between Swan Centre owners Ellandi and H&M, which is expected to take possession of the space in the summer and open in late 2016.

The store is expected to open in late 2016 and is will bring around 30 new full and part-time jobs.

The clothing retailer, which has more than 3,700 stores in 61 countries, already operates at Southampton’s WestQuay Shopping Centre.

Ellandi has made a £3m investment to generate the area necessary to accommodate the 17,000 sq foot glass fronted unit.

The store will occupy a site formerly used as a cafe by Boswells which was relocated to the former Waterstones store last year.

The announcement follows The Entertainer toy shop’s opening at the centre just before Christmas.

Swan Centre manager Daniel Kitchen said H&M would be an “amazing addition” and underlined Eastleigh’s significance as a shopping venue.

“There is some serious work to be done to create a unit to meet the size and design H&M require and we will be asking our shoppers to be patient with the temporary disruption,” he said.

“The end result however will be one more significant step in the progress Eastleigh is making as a major retail and leisure destination.”

Mims Davies, Eastleigh MP, said she was pleased the store would bring more jobs and business to the centre, adding: “All too often in our area shops are locating out of town rather than contributing to a vibrant town centre.”