In January Smallbone of Devizes, which sells hand-made bathrooms, bedrooms and kitchens, will open in the same King Street they left five years ago.

"Knutsford and its surrounding district has a concentration of interesting and quality properties," said company spokesman Gabriela Moralejo-Gordon yesterday (Tuesday).

"The main reason we are returning to the town is that there is a demand for our service by locals in the area."

Smallbone left the town in 1993 after the lease on their unit, next to French restaurant Baileys, ran out.

The firm had then hoped that their showroom in Harrogate would cover their market in the North.

But Ms Moralejo-Gordon said many customers from the North West had not wanted to travel to Yorkshire.

Instead the business, which was bought by The Gower Group in 1997, searched for a base in the area that customers could easily reach by car. "The directors spent a long time searching for the ideal location," she said.

"The opportunity arose at 46 King Street at the same magnificent building where Smallbone was years ago."

Smallbone have renovated the building which has been empty since gift shop Seasons left just after Christmas. A ground-floor kitchen showroom will open in January later followed by three more floors of displays.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.