A BRADFORD market stall trader has opened his first permanent clothes store in a former suit shop in the city centre.

Shamraiz Khan, who took over the family-run Fashion Wise stalls in Kirkgate Market around 12 years ago, has taken a five year lease on the former Greenwoods menswear store.

Mr Khan admitted he saw an opportunity when the long-established firm closed its doors in November, leaving the unit on the corner of Westgate and Godwin Street vacant.

He subsequently gave notice on the larger of his two Fashion Wise market stalls, took over the store and named the new venture Perfect Fit.

He told the Telegraph & Argus: “This is a prime location, but we need the footfall to make it a success.”

“The market has been affected by The Broadway opening and footfall is down, so I wanted to move outside the market and try something new.

“I’m hoping to be more in the public eye here. There’s a shop front and we’re on the street so people can see us.”

He added that retail was not easy in Bradford at the moment and that footfall in the market had fallen by about 50 per cent in the past few years.

This was a deciding factor in making the move to a permanent store outside the market.

He added: “I’m selling similar goods to the market stall but with this shop I can sell anything. In the market I sold clothing, but here I can sell footwear too.”

He described how he had been working to prepare the new store since last year and although new signage had been installed, he hoped to repaint the external paintwork – the same shade he has inherited – when the weather improves.

There is also still work to be done to decorate and revamp the inside of the store, which is currently just making use of the ground floor of the building.

“I closed the market stall down on Friday and then opened the store on the Saturday,” he added, with just under a week of trading at the new address under his belt.

For now Mr Khan, who lives in Shipley, will focus on menswear, workwear and women’s clothing at Perfect Fit. He’s also added in the footwear which he was unable to sell at the market stall.

In addition he continues to operate his schoolwear and children’s clothing stall in the market under the Fashion Wise name. The stalls were set up 30 years ago by Mr Khan’s father-in-law.

But as the store venture takes off, he also hopes to expand onto the second floor of the building – making use of more of the four floors available to him under his lease.

He also has ambitions to begin selling his clothing lines online – with the upper floors of the corner building to be used for storing stock