THE new owners of Golden Square shopping centre have added yet another property to their portfolio.

Blackburn based Adhan Group bought the Warrington shopping centre for an undisclosed fee before Christmas.

The deal, for an undisclosed fee, was secured earlier this year.

Now the multi-million pound firm has announced the acquisition of the Peel Leisure & Retail Park in Blackburb.

The site takes in Vue Cinema, Ten Pin Bowling, Pizza Hut, Nando's, Dunelm Mill and the large Matalan store.

The deal was said to be completed for an undesclosed sum under the asking price of £22 million.

It comes during a busy start of the year for the multi-million pound company, which also purchased the Golden Square Shopping Centre in Warrington for an undisclosed fee and the Pendle Park development site off Barrowford Road in Pendle.

Peel Leisure & Retail Park, close to the centre of Blackburn, is spread over three areas with Vue Cinemas Vue Cinema, Ten Pin Bowling and Nando's taking up the leisure section.

The retail section is made up by Matalan and Dunelm, two long established retailers, which are based opposite the Pizza Hut.

The company said it was in talks with alternate users for the former DW gym unit, with new tenants being approached.

Adhan Group chief executive, Salim Patel, said: "There has been much written in the press recently in regards to the decline in the retail market place, especially within town centre locations.

"We see this as both an opportunity to support our local town and believe that retail is commencing substantiated, albeit slow, improvement.

"Footfall continues to return to town centres as shoppers prefer to seek the best value for their money in these challenging, financial times."

The company's portfolio covers Yorkshire, Cheshire, the Wirral, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, and North Wales, with expansions into the Midlands and the South.