Traders at Douglas Village Shopping Centre have welcomed the news that the centre is to reopen in November.
The centre was partially destroyed by a large fire in the multi-storey car park in August last year, forcing traders to close their businesses and lay off hundreds of employees.
The Covid-19 pandemic forced rebuilding work to stop, however work has since restarted, with a provisional date of November 12th for the resumption of trade according to the manager of the centre.
Speaking to RedFM News, Douglas Village Shopping Centre traders spokesperson Terry Coleman says the November reopening is vital for traders:.
"We do welcome the fact that there's a date to focus on.
"They had previously been refocusing on an autumn reopening, but now they're going to have to change tack for Christmas, and the Christmas trade instead.
"Now that being said, the traders are still quite anxious that any further delays could mean that they would lose out on a second Christmas of trading, and that's not something they want to see happening at all."
