CROWDS of shoppers watched on last week at the opening of Ealing's new Decathlon store as well as Superdrug in the recently-opened Oaks Centre in Acton High Street.

Ealing Central and Acton MP Rupa Huq, who was present at the Superdrug opening, said: "While other MPs lament the closure of stores in their seats, I'm delighted that, in the past week, major openings have taken place in both Ealing and Acton.

"They are great news for shoppers, but we need to ensure we have long-term policies in place to revive Britain's struggling high streets."

Meanwhile, at Ealing Broadway, Decathlon opened its doors with a team of 25. The MP was joined by the Mayor of Ealing, Cllr Abdullah Gulaid, for the opening ceremony.

Ricardo Rodriguez, Decathlon expansion manager,  said: "We were overwhelmed by the crowd that queued outside. It took the team 12 minutes of continuous clapping to welcome everyone in."