A leisure operator is creating 40 jobs in Bradford with a £1 million investment which could see top name acts perform live in the city.

Preston-based Luminar Leisure is set to transform the former Chicago Rock Cafe it owns in Great Horton Road into a Jumpin Jaks live entertainment bar.

The move will see the fourth Jumpin Jaks open in Yorkshire, with venues already operating in Leeds, Halifax and Huddersfield.

The site will be the firm's 26th outlet nationwide.

Trevor Ellard, Luminar Leisure director, said the company had been looking at launching a Jumpin Jaks in Bradford for some time.

He said: "The Jaks brand is one of the most popular across the UK at the moment.

"The popularity is based on the fact that Jumpin Jaks is not a conventional nightclub - in fact we don't think of it is a nightclub at all.

"It offers live entertainment in the form of tribute acts, showbands, its very own crew and chart acts such as Liberty X and Blue.

"We will begin recruitment straight away for all posts and dance training for the bar staff will begin very soon."

Mike Cowlam, Bradford Council's head of partnership development, said: "We welcome the news of a further £1 million investment in refurbishing the former Chicago Rock Cafe to a Jumpin Jaks.

"It shows the continuing confidence of the private sector in Bradford's future and will be a further incentive to other investors."

Will Mellor, Darius Danesh and 911 are among the acts who have already appeared at Jaks venues across the country this year.

The venue will open its doors in May.