THE boarded up former Marks and Spencer store in Kidderminster has been given a temporary new lease of life for the festive season.

A Christmas toys and decorations shop has opened in the prime town centre building in High Street, creating more than a dozen part-time and full-time jobs. It will stay open until the end of January.

Apart from a short stay tenant who moved out earlier this year, the prominent store has been empty since Marks and Spencer relocated to Weavers Wharf in 2003, creating an eyesore in the heart of the town.

Town Centre Partnership chairman, Peter Picken, said: "I am pleased to see the boards come down and that there is something there but I am not so happy that it's competition, selling the same sort of goods as some of our other shops. I would have preferred if it could have offered something different."