Belfast Beds is set to open a new store in Ipswich town centre later this month.

Signs have gone up in the windows of the former Bonmarché ladies' fashion store in Westgate Street, saying: "Belfast Beds - opening soon."

The new shop will stock a selection of beds including its own ranges as well as other makes. There will also be mattresses, frames, sofabeds and linens.

Josh Fowler, manager of the Belfast Bed Superstore in Cambridge, said: "We are aiming to open in a couple of weeks, but haven't got a definite date yet. It will be similar to our shop in Cambridge."

The new shop will mean the return of a familiar name to Ipswich town centre - since the store was a Belfast Linen shop for many years, from around 1950 onwards, before Bonmarché took on the premises.

Ipswich Star: Belfast Linen in Westgate Street in February 1966. The street was then open to traffic.Belfast Linen in Westgate Street in February 1966. The street was then open to traffic. (Image: Archant)

Mr Fowler said the company owns the building, and decided to use it as a beds shop.

Belfast Beds has been established in Cambridge for more than a century.

The Ipswich Bonmarché store, which finally closed after a long closing-down sale, was part of the same group which included Edinburgh Woollen Mills and Peacocks, which went into administration in December.

Meanwhile, there are now hopes that Peacocks clothing stores across Suffolk could be saved, following a last-minute bid for the fast fashion chain.

Ipswich Star: Inside the Belfast Linen store in Ipswich in April 1967Inside the Belfast Linen store in Ipswich in April 1967 (Image: Archant)