What's in store for Sunderland shoppers as Smyths Toy Superstore gets ready to open

Smyths Toy Superstore will open its 95th shop across England, Wales and Scotland here on Wearside – and we’ve been given a tour around to see what’s on offer before the team greets its first customers at 9am on Thursday, August 22.

The business has taken on 60 staff to work at the store, which has taken the place of Poundstretcher on North Hylton Retail Park.

Three days of celebrations are planned as it launches, with characters, face painting and giveaways lined up for visitors.

Store manager Josh Pullman has said the workers have pulled out all the stops to get it ready for its first day of trading, with their efforts paying off.

It will stock 10,000 lines across 11 aisles, with Toy Story, Avengers, Super Mario, wrestling figures, Nerf guns, LOL Suprise and Fortnite goods bound to be a hit with kids alongside traditional items including Lego, bikes, dolls, board games, table football and magic tricks.

It also has a large gaming section.

The store will have nursery experts on hand to help new parents get to grips with equipment, including prams and car seats, while it has also taken on bike mechanics, helping budding cyclist get to grips with their new wheels.

“We’re ahead of schedule and that’s down to a lot of hard work by the team,” said Josh.

“A lot of graft has been put in and we’re all looking forward to it opening – we have a lot of characters ready.

“We’re also really looking forward to seeing people’s reaction to it.”

Rob Lloyd, 26, from Washington, is among those to join the team after previously working in car sales, making a return from a previous shop job.

He said: “In sales there was a lot of pressure and I wanted to go into retail again.

“We’re really excited, looking at it now from how it was when we first moved in and it was bare.”