A MAJOR sports retailer is to move its headquarters to Bury, and could bring up to 500 jobs.

JD Sports is transferring the 250 staff from its current head office in Heywood to new 46,000 sq ft premises at the thriving Castlebrook Business Park in Hollins Brook Way.

But the Bury Times understands that, ultimately, the number of employees there could be doubled.

JD Sports recently acquired the sports and fashion division of Greenock-based Black's, which includes its 209 stores nationwide.

The head office staff of JD Sports, which was originally established in 1981, presently work at the firm's headquarters at the Heywood Distribution Park.

A spokesman said: "The move to Bury will be phased and will probably be completed by February of next year. We're talking about up to 250 staff."

He would not comment on speculation that staff taken on by the company following the acquisition of Black's may also be based there.

Commenting on the decision to transfer to Castlebrook Business Park, the spokesman added: "We have outgrown our current office. We looked in the vicinity at quite a number of sites. But we chose Castlebrook because it was the right size and in the right sort of location."

JD Sports has enjoyed phenomenal growth since it became a limited company in the 1980s and has 130 stores nationwide.