WALLINGFORD department store Pettits is on schedule to reopen by the end of the summer, the manager has revealed.

The store in St Mary's Street closed in March last year so the ground floor could be refurbished and nine flats built on the upper floor.

Manager Kevin Willis said the refurbishment was progressing well and he hoped Pettits, which dates back to 1856, would reopen at the end of August.

He added: "By adapting, Pettits has been able to stay in Wallingford - amazing progress has been made recently and we could be open again around the time of Bunkfest."

While the store has been closed, several departments have been relocated in pop-up shops to keep the Pettits brand trading, together with its presence online.

It was initially hoped that Pettits would reopen in the spring but the revamp has taken longer than expected.

Mr Willis, 46, said the toy department has moved permanently to neighbouring hardware store Champions, which is owned by Pettits.

The menswear and lingerie departments in St Martin's Street, which have been trading from pop-up shops, will return to the main store, where about 20 staff work, once it reopens.

Mr Willis, who started out as a sales assistant aged 16 in 1985, added: "The pop-up shops have worked well and have proved popular with customers - it's been a good way of keeping the name trading while the main store was closed.

"The building contractors have now made good progress and lots of customers have been coming up to me in the street asking when Pettits will be open again."

Mr Willis said all departments would trade from the ground floor once the store reopened and there would no longer be a cafe.

He added: "Customers have been calling in at Champions or the pop-up shops to ask about the work.

"This has taken a little bit longer than we would have hoped but you have to remember that it's a very old building that started out as three cottages.

"Change is inevitable but we have adapted and that means we will still be able to trade on the same site.

"We are still working on the precise details of how many departments we will have."

Mayor elect Ros Lester said everyone in the town was looking forward to Pettits reopening.

She said: "It has been fascinating to look into the store when the building work has been going on.

"From the west side you could see lots of little rooms which I didn't know were there - it's possible they were once used as bedrooms for Pettits staff."

Store owner Richard Rowse, who also owns Champions, announced the flats scheme last year because he said running Pettits on two storeys was no longer profitable.

Pettits was opened in 1856 by William Pettit and the store stayed in the Pettit family until 1987 when it was sold to the Rowse family.

Bunkfest takes place from September 2 to September 4.