Washington Bargain Clearance Centre sees 1,500 customers on opening weekend as store looks to hire four more employees in time for Black Friday and Christmas

Lee Taylor and Dean Kelly, owners of Trading warehouse D&L Trading, took over the premises in Windlass Lane, Washington, earlier this year and, following two months of renovation, opened its doors as The Bargain Clearance Centre on Saturday, October 15.

The 11,000 sq ft building was stacked with clearance bargains and saw thousands of patrons taking full advantage during its opening weekend ahead of Christmas.

More than 1,000 people visited the venue on day one and the Sunday saw over 500 visitors to the warehouse site.

Lee and Dean say their warehouse receives new stock daily from companies going through liquidation, end of line products and bankrupt stock.

The site sells a range of products including white goods, such as refrigerators and washing machines; furniture; pet supplies; garden stock; homeware; jewellery; electronics; and children’s toys.

The Bargain Clearance Centre has also hired nine members of staff and are now looking for another four to keep up with demand.

Since the opening weekend, a steady stream of around 300 customers per day have filtered into the warehouse and over 5,000 purchases have been made.

Lee said: “To say we’re delighted with how we’ve been welcomed to this new site is an understatement.

"We are pleased that we have been able to help so many of our customers with their shopping, especially in the lead up to Christmas and hope to keep welcoming them back.

“It’s really humbling to have so many people visit us and we’re already seeing regular faces.

"As stock comes in daily, it hasn’t taken people long to realise that they can bag themselves a bargain or two by visiting more often."

One of the business’s first customers was Diane Fyall, from Boldon, who said: “I wanted to see what all the hype was about, and I wasn’t disappointed.

"I bought a lot of my grandchildren’s Christmas presents there and I also stocked up some great bargain stocking-fillers, which usually cost me a fortune.”

The site is open from 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am – 4pm on Saturdays.