WORK to convert Lancaster's Waring and Gillows showrooms into a cosmopolitan shopping and leisure complex will begin next month.
Local businessman, Mr Trevor Bargh, has finalised deals with a furniture retailer and a Manchester-based pub chain.
An upmarket cafe/bar will be developed on the ground floor by a company which owns the popular bars, Down Under and Joop, in Manchester.
Durham Pine, which has 52 stores across the country and is currently expanding, plans to open a showroom on the ground floor of the North Road building, selling pine furniture and associated goods.
Negotiations are still under way with a Blackpool leisure company to develop the top floor and part of the first floor into a classy nightclub.
"We want to create a cosmopolitan feel to the whole place where people of mixed ages can socialise and relax," said Mr Bargh.
"We're still in discussion with a company regarding the nightclub but we're excited about the development and believe it's just what Lancaster needs."
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