A national building society will open its first fully operational branch in Bradford in the old Bryars cloth warehouse.

Six staff lost their jobs when the independent retailer closed its shop in the Wool Exchange last year after the company went into liquidation.

Two weeks before it shut, customers were left playing guessing games as to the firm's future when posters with 'closing down' and 'for refurbishment' appeared in the windows.

But it closed permanently and the unit remained empty until bosses from the Cheltenham and Gloucester Building Society approached GVA Grimley, which manages the building, to lease the property.

Builders are converting the unit, which is in a prime location in Bank Street. Staff from the society's existing mortgage office in nearby Kenburgh House, in Manor Row, are expected to move in at the end of July.

A Cheltenham and Gloucester spokesman said that, unlike the existing Bradford operation, the new office would offer a complete range of services from mortgages to investment advice and an over-the-counter service.

The spokesman said: "We wanted to take our business forward in Bradford and this site seemed to offer us a golden opportunity to set up in the heart of the city centre. We've always had a big presence in the city, and this just increases the size of our portfolio. We will increase our staff by one full-time member, bringing the total to eight, although one is part-time."

Earlier this year it was revealed that one in four shops in the city centre was empty.

Jeff Frankel, chairman of the Bradford Retail Action Group, said: "It's good news that somebody has taken the property over but it's a shame it's not another retail outlet as that is in a prime retail area."