Camp Hopson department store is leading the way with the first in a series of retail schemes to breathe new life into Newbury's shopping scene, and has hired Sutton Griffin Architects to modernise a store which in part dates back to the 18th century.

The Sutton Griffin Architects design will remove the internal walls to create an open airy feel -making better use of available space - complete with escalators to the upper floors, second floor restaurant, and air conditioning throughout the trading area. Additionally, two new outlets for national fashion chains will be included, to add to the shopping experience in Northbrook Street.

The 18-month construction period starts this week, and a partition wall has been installed to ensure the store can carry on trading throughout the project. The customer car park will remain open, and new product lines will be added over the next few months.

Camp Hopson chief executive Jonathan Hopson says: "We are updating and modernising the shopping experience, but importantly, we will only lose 20% of retail space over the period. It's more gentle evolution than radical revolution, as we don't want to alienate our loyal customers. Through this, we hope more people will be able to enjoy a visit to Camp Hopson."

The £6 million scheme is the first of the town's new 'vision' projects to get off the ground, putting the two established businesses - Sutton Griffin and Camp Hopson - at the forefront of Newbury's renaissance.

Sutton Griffin Architects' associate director Robert James adds: "The challenge was to update one of Newbury's most prominent buildings, without losing its identity. We have incorporated many features the modern shopper expects, to achieve a design with real impact."

Sutton Griffin Architects has already won widespread acclaim in recent years, for designing Camp Hopson's canalside furniture centre, the Waitrose superstore, and Newbury library.