by business editor Trevor Sturgess

More jobs could be created after Danish shoe giant ECCO injected £100,000 into a pioneering Kent flagship store that promises to be the pattern for the rest of the UK.

The 756 sq m shop in Ashford Designer Outlet re-opened last month and will be copied at other similar Ecco stores nationwide.

The revamped shop employs eight people, but a spokesman said more jobs could be on the cards with an expected increase in customer numbers.

The re-design provides a lighter and more airy environment than the outlet it replaces.

ECCO opened its first store in Odense - birthplace of acclaimed storyteller Hans Christian Andersen - in 1985 and is now in 4,000 locations worldwide.

It is the only major footwear manufacturer to own and manage its entire supply chain, from leather production to shoe factories and stores.