A well-established Glastonbury business has fended off competition from a national chain to take over the empty Woolworth's shop at the top of the town's High Street, with the prospect of creating more jobs for the town.

The former Woolworth's site was operated by the company until January, when it was closed as part of the retailer's collapse.

This saw all of its 815 stores close across the country, with the loss of tens of thousands of jobs.

Since then it has remained empty, but now Earthfare, the wholefood shop based in Glastonbury High Street, has confirmed it will be moving into the shop.

"We are hoping that we will be able to breath new life into that end of the High Street, which has suffered a little since Woolworth's closed," said Henry Cox, who owns Earthfare with his wife, Anya.

"We had been in discussions with the receivers since January, so this has been a long time coming for us – we were in competition with a national company for the lease, but we're very excited that the lease has now been signed and we can begin to get things moving."

Earthfare has been a part of Glastonbury town centre for around 25 years, with Mr and Mrs Cox taking the business over seven years ago.

They say their shop has been bursting at the seams for a number of years, and they hope the bigger premises will allow them to stock a wider line of products.

"We're planning to keep offering what we offer now – but more of it," said Mr Cox.

"We'll be bigger and better – it'll allow us to stock more lines, and hopefully to work with local producers to provide alternatives to what you'd find at the supermarkets."

He said that currently, a number of Earthfare's customers come from outside of the area, and he hopes the new shop will grow to become a major wholefood store for the whole of the South West.

Now the lease has been signed, he is in the process of organising a number of local tradesmen to help give the old Woolworth's shop a new look.

He also envisages that the bigger premises will mean the company takes on more staff.

"It's very early days yet," he said. "But we're very excited – with any luck, we'll be in our new premises by the beginning of December, and we can't wait to go in and get the doors open."