Retail bosses have responded to claims they will be opening in The Peel Centre.

Rumours circulated on social media about Home Bargains replacing Next in Bracknell.

A resident claimed she had heard the store was set to open in the old Next unit in The Peel Centre.

Next and Next Home closed down in September in line with the expiration of the retailer’s lease at the Skimped Hill shopping site.

The re-opening of the store comes as a planning application to change part of the store’s use was lodged.

A proposal to allocate 30 per cent of the sales area at Unit 4a of The Peel Centre — where Next used to stand — to allow the sale of food was submitted in late September.

A Next Outlet store currently stands in place of the old Next store allowing bargain hunters to pick up cheaper clothes and homeware items.

But the uncertainty of whether the unit will stay for good has spiralled rumours of Home Bargains coming to replace it instead.

We asked Home Bargains and Peel Centre bosses if the claims were true and this is what they responded with.

Home Bargains said: "Unfortunately, we’re unable to provide a comment at this stage. However, as and when we can we’ll be sure to let you know."

A spokesman for The Peel Centre added: "We do not have a comment at this time."

From their responses, we gathered Home Bargains is not completely ruled out of the picture of coming to Bracknell.