SHOPPERS hoping to snap up a bargain headed to the new Furniture Village when it opened its doors for the first time on Boxing Day.

And staff are helping to plug an animal charity throughout the sales period.

The Priory Fields Retail Park store, which markets itself as the UK's largest independent furniture retailer, is one of four the company opened on Monday - the others are in Cheadle, Hull and Tamworth.

There are now a total of 48 Furniture Village store across the company.

The Taunton outlet has a ground floor of 13,500 sq ft and a mezzanine floor of 11,800 sq ft.

To coincide with the launch, Furniture Village has teamed-up with Ferne Animal Sanctuary to bring in-store and onto sale sofas and beds life-size cut-out images of local dogs and cats in need of adoption.

The initiative will run throughout the Boxing Day sales period in the hope that shoppers visiting the new showroom – and already in a frame of mind to consider changes to their domestic environment – will be inspired by the sight of cardboard cut-outs of the charming moggies and pups positioned on sofas and beds and might decide to adopt their real-life furry versions.

Store manager Chris Edwards said: "We were very excited to open our doors on Boxing Day, along with three other stores across the UK.

"Furniture Village is dedicated to offering the best possible customer experience, and we are looking forward to welcoming members of the local community into our store over the festive period.”