It is a year since House of Fraser opened in Croydon and despite the gloomy retail picture the department store is thriving.

Designer names like DKNY, Chanel, Diesel and Dior have been luring discerning shoppers into the store and offering them a new shopping experience.

House of Fraser's the anchor store in the £100million Centrale shopping centre Croydon's answer to out-of-town centres like Bluewater and Lakeside.

Store manager Sharon Van Den Bos is confident it has lived up to the billing.

She said: "We do a lot of work on our shoppers' shopping habits and our research has shown that people from Reigate, Copthorne, Brighton, Kingston and even Wimbledon are coming here.

"Those who were cynical about Croydon accommodating House of Fraser can now eat humble pie. I wouldn't say we were under pressure but we knew we were expected to bring something different to the Croydon shopping experience."

The arrival of House of Fraser ensured Croydon leapt up to 11th in the UK retail rankings, compiled by Gerald Eve, making it the leading retail town in the country the top 10 were all cities. Rankings are based on the quality and quantity of retail, and other factors like public transport.

Ms Van Den Bos says in hindsight it may not have been an ideal time to open a new store with shoppers preferring to pay off their credit cards rather than splashing out but she said: "We are very happy with our figures."