POUNDWORLD wants to set up shop in Southend’s High Street.

The budget retailer is keen on the former Mad House clothes store, at the corner of Clifftown Road – and bosses want to open by Christmas.

The new store would be just two doors along from the 99p shop.

The move, expected to create up to 50 new jobs, has been welcomed by Marzia Abel, Southend Council’s town centre manager.

She said: “We do have one of the lowest empty shop rates in the country but, with some of the recent departures, it is good to see new investment.

“It shows Southend is still capable of attracting new retailers. It is a prime location and it is always better to see a shop occupied rather than vacant.”

Poundworld, which opened its first £1 store in 1997, is in the middle of an expansion drive and bosses are as keen as ever to take over large town centre sites.

The former Mad House store measures more than 1,000sqm, making it one of the largest ground-floor shops in the High Street.

It is currently occupied by discount clothes store Gossip, which has a temporary let on the building.

It is not known how many staff will be employed, although a store half the size, which opened in Bristol last month, created 25 new jobs.

The latest announcement follows hot on the heels of a similar development in Basildon, where Poundworld plans to knock through the former Top Shop, Burger King and Game Station in East Walk to create a massive new store opening next month.

Martin Birks, Poundworld’s marketing director, said: “We are aiming to open new stores in every major area. Southend suited our needs, as did Basildon.

“We’re looking forward to opening.”