OLD friends Ann Halsall and Karen Pennington had not seen each other for 20 years but a chance encounter has led to the pair reuniting for an exciting business venture.

Ann, who runs the Heaven Sent store on Boundary Road, has joined forces with former colleague Karen, who owns a similar shop in Ashton called Bambino's.

After both decided they would benefit from having a premises in the town centre they are opening a new Heaven Sent shop on Westfield Street.

"We've been friends for a long time and went to work together but then we lost contact," explains Ann, 56.

"I didn't know she had a shop and she didn't know that I had. One day around four years ago she just walked into my shop and she couldn't believe it when she saw me and she said she has exactly the same thing. It was funny that we both had babies' shops."

And both came to the decision that they would be better to work together on a business.

"We decided that we needed the town centre but it's very expensive so we thought we'd open together and go as one.

"We're very excited and I can't believe it to be honest. I feel like it was fate that she walked in that day. And I think we need something like this in the town centre."

Ann and Karen are planning to host an open day on Thursday, May 7 to launch the new shop and the pair admit they have invested a lot into the venture.

"We have got about £50,000 worth of stock and we have had to pay for the settings to go in so it was quite a bit. We are very optimistic."

The new Westfield Street store will be open from 9am to 5pm from Mondays to Saturdays.