Hospice Isle of Man has announced that its new store in Douglas is set to open this month.

The new store, which is to open at the site of the former Motorsport Merchandise shop in Duke Street, will officially open on Thursday, September 28.

Hospice Isle of Man's official statement reads: 'Thanks to the ongoing and increasing demand for our preloved donated goods we have managed to secure a fantastic new outlet in the middle of town. The Duke Street store will be very different in both look and feel and we would love to invite everyone to explore what we have to offer.

'Our Strand Street and Duke Street stores will offer different shopping experiences. The Hospice Shop on Duke Street will have ladieswear, menswear and furniture for sale alongside a dedicated retro vinyl and film chill zone. The Strand Street Boutique will continue selling the luxurious, high-end, designer donations at affordable prices.'

The opening of the new store means there will now be nine Hospice stores throughout the island - four in Douglas and one in Port Erin, Ramsey, Peel, Onchan and Castletown.

The chief executive of Hospice Isle of Man, John Knight, said: 'It costs approximately £5.5 million annually to enable us to provide the care we do to the local community and these costs are expected to increase over the the next couple of years.

'To meet the challenge of rising demand for services in the current inflationary climate we are always looking to grow our own internally generated revenues.

'A significant proportion of that revenue comes directly from our retail shops, therefore it is increasingly important that we continue to invest heavily in this area.

'One of our key long term strategic goals is to develop greater self sufficiency so that we are less reliant on the generosity of the great Manx public who have supported us so magnificently over the last 40 years.

'There is such a demand for the high quality, pre-loved items that we sell that opening this additional shop in Douglas city centre really does make sense. And it is thanks to our incredibly loyal supporters and customers that we can do so.'

Kathy Foley, the Hospice Shops and warehouse manager, said: 'We are really looking forward to the opening of the new flagship store. Over the last few years, I have seen first-hand how well loved our shops are and how loyal our customers are.

'We can’t wait to welcome the first customer in. We feel confident that customers will find the experience very different to our other retail outlets.

'Hospice does such amazing work in supporting and caring for so many people on the island with life-limiting conditions, and to be part of the retail team who enable that to happen is very humbling.'