The former Woolworths branch in Fishponds has been transformed into a clothes shop.

Fashion retailer Ethel Austin, which has other shops in Nailsea and Bedminster, has taken over the former Woolies in Fishponds Road - and the store opens today.

A spokeswoman for Hartnell Taylor Cook LLP, which advised the store's landlords K M Lynch Properties on the move, said: "The letting to Ethel Austin will greatly enhance the shopping offered and attract shoppers back to what is already a busy suburb of Bristol.

"Ethel Austin are to occupy the store on a lease for a term of 10 years."

Ethel Austin has more than 300 shops nationwide.

The store in Fishponds forms part of its expansion and introduction of a new "2010" look to its stores.

Adam Cooper, of Hartnell Taylor Cook LLP, said: "When Woolworths collapsed, many thought this section of Fishponds Road would never recover but my client is very optimistic that due to the strength and retail offer of Ethel Austin, it will actually revive and substantially improve the area."

The Fishponds branch of Woolworths is the latest in the Bristol area to have been taken over after the iconic high street chain fell victim to the credit crunch at the end of last year.

Most have become budget or charity shops in the last six months.

The old branch in Bedminster opened as a Poundland shop this month; the one in Kingswood has become a British Heart Foundation furniture shop; in Yate, fashion retailer Peacocks has moved in; Hartcliffe was reopened as a What Stores and Factory Outlet Stores took over in Nailsea.

In Blackboy Hill, a property firm has bought the empty Woolworths shop and plans to attract stall holders to create Clifton's answer to the popular St Nicholas Market in Corn Street.