Up to 60 new jobs are set to be created after Sports Direct revealed plans to open a new store in Stoke-on-Trent.

The discount retailer is preparing to move into the former BHS store in Hanley's Parliament Row - three years after the department store moved out.

The news - which was confirmed in a recent planning application to Stoke-on-Trent City Council - will put an end to weeks of speculation that the site has been bought by Sport Direct's chief executive Mike Ashley.

According to , up to 60 new jobs will created once the store is open.

Sports Direct CEO Mike Ashley
Sports Direct CEO Mike Ashley

The planning application said: "The proposal seeks to replace the existing BHS branded shop front to a new high-quality shopfront.

"The impact of the proposal will be at no detriment to the setting of the adjacent conservation area."

The former BHS store in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
The former BHS store in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent

Sports Direct already has a store in Hanley - less than two miles away on Octagon Retail Park. The retailer previously moved out of the intu Potteries Shopping Centre.

Last month, BusinessLive reported how Sport Direct's share price took a hit after the company failed to release its latest accounts on time.

But retail tycoon Mr Ashley has made no secret of his ambitious expansion plans - with a recent £51.9 million bid for struggling video gaming business Game Digital.

It follows two failed last-ditch takeover offers for retail giant Debenhams.