BUSINESS is booming for an independent Malton retailer as it opens a bigger premises and creates three new jobs.

Ego, which sells women's fashion clothes, is set to expand into a larger building one door down from its Yorkersgate shop.

And owner Derek Allan, whose wife Jane gave birth to a baby girl, Eliza, three weeks ago, says the support for his business from local customers has made the move possible.

"The success of the shop has exceeded all our expectations," he said. "The response from customers has been absolutely fantastic and our Malton customers are the best we have ever dealt with.

"We got a lot of regular customers in a very short space of time and that is phenomenal."

Derek is looking for three new staff members to join his existing team of full-time local staff. Ego opened in July and Derek said he had seen a gap in the market for customers who did not want to travel to York or Monks Cross for fashionable clothes.

The shop changes are expected to take place over the next two to three weeks after which the business will stock five times more clothes. The existing shop will remain open until the new shop is ready. Then it will be refurbished before reopening as a teenage fashion shop.

Meanwhile, Derek is throwing his weight behind a competition to find a model in Malton. A bonanza of prizes have been secured for the competition and the final is set to take place at the Green Man Hotel, Malton, on Sunday, November 18.

Seven models from the competition will go forward to appear at the Malton fashion show which is scheduled for early December.

"There is an enormous amount happening for young people in Malton to get involved with at the moment," said Derek.

Prizes for the competition include hundreds of pounds worth of vouchers for Ego and Boarding Edge, a complete portfolio from Helen Frost photography and a full hair and make over from the Goodys Group.

* Entry forms for the competition will soon be available at Ego and Boarding Edge.

Updated: 11:34 Thursday, October 11, 2001