A LUXURIOUS jewellery firm is all set to make its mark on a popular shopping high street in Barrow.

A new Pandora store is being renovated in Portland Walk with the grand opening set for the middle of August. It will fill the empty premises previously occupied by Jessops until its closure in 2009.

The franchisees of the shop are Graeme and Helen Hogarth, who already own three Pandora branches in Kendal, Bowness and Workington.

However, the two women spearheading the Barrow store to success are Alex Crowe and Hannah Mitchell from the Kendal branch of Pandora, who have been appointed as the manager and the assistant manager of the new shop, respectively.

Miss Crowe said: "I am very excited, the Pandora brand will really appeal to people in the area and there's already quite a lot of excitement building ahead of our launch.

"We already have a lot of customers who travel through to Kendal and Bowness from Barrow so we have the potential to tap into a large customer base. However, for those who don't have the time to travel to our other stores, this will be right on their doorsteps so it will be much more convenient for them.

"With Pandora, it's all about tailoring to each customers needs. Every piece of jewellery is sentimental to the owner and we make sure that people are getting the right help and direction so they can find what's best for them."

Pandora started out as a family-run business in Copenhagen in 1982, but now sells its products in more than 90 countries across the globe.

Helen Hogarth also helps her husband Graeme run H Hogarth jewellers in Kendal and wants people in Barrow to try out the Pandora experience.

She said: "We hope people will like the look and the style of the shop. We know we already have a loyal Pandora customer base in Barrow but we want to encourage those who are not so familiar with the brand to come in store and see what is available."