DOZENS of jobs appear to have been saved in Skipton town centre following an announcement that the Rackhams department store is set to stay open.

The High Street shop is one of 20 across the country that has so far been reprieved by its new owners, Sports Direct.

The sportswear chain's owner Mike Ashley bought Rackham's parent company House of Fraser out of administration in a deal reported to be worth around £90 million. And he announced on Sunday that the Skipton department store was one of 15 nationally that would stay open after being previously earmarked for closure.

Rackhams' future in Skipton had been in doubt after House of Fraser ran into financial trouble earlier this year.

And this week business leaders in Skipton have given a warm welcome to the news that it has been saved.

Skipton Business Improvement District manager and director Geraldine Thompson said: "This is fantastic news for the High Street, for Skipton as a whole, and of course for Rackhams staff.

"No one wants to see an empty store, especially one in such a prominent location and one which has had such a big role in the history of the town centre - there has been a department store on the site for well over half-a-century, going back to the days of Brown-Muff. I am sure Rackhams will continue to be successful."

And Cllr Richard Foster, Leader of Craven District Council, said: “I’m really pleased to hear this good news – I hope this means that the workers’ jobs are safe.

"This building is in a prime spot on Skipton’s High Street and we hope it will continue to be a thriving business for many years to come.”

The store had been under threat since June when House of Fraser was given the go-ahead from creditors to axe more than half of its 59 outlets nationwide, resulting in up to 6,000 job losses.

Billionaire Mike Ashley, who also owns Newcastle United football club, said on Sunday: "I am disappointed that in my opinion a small number of greedy landlords still refuse to be reasonable.

"We've showed what we can achieve on the British high street when we work together with landlords.

"I would like to thank those landlords who have helped us to rescue approximately 3,500 jobs at the stores we have saved to date. I am calling on everybody to pull together, including landlords and local authorities in order to help to save as many House of Fraser stores and jobs as possible on the great British high street."