BOLTON shoppers are being urged to boycott the town's flagship new retail stores by UKIP representatives.

The Topshop and Topman group is relaunching in the redeveloped Market Place Shopping Centre after previously being based there until 2013.

But while many are welcoming the return of such a high-profile name to Bolton’s town centre, the borough’s UKIP group are asking people to stay away.

This is because the Arcadia group, which owns Topshop is run by controversial businessman, Sir Philip Green.

Mr Green’s firm previously owned the British Home Stores group and he has been heavily criticised for his handling of the firm, which has now collapsed, leaving thousands of staff across the country — including in Bolton — unemployed.

BHS has also been left with an estimated employee pensions shortfall of around £571 million, something for which Mr Green has also been lambasted.

He and his wife, Lady Tina Green, will find out in weeks if there will be a criminal investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into the BHS collapse and Mr Green's knighthood could also be brought into question.

Calling for the boycott of the new Bolton stores, UKIP Bolton chairman Cllr Paul Richardson said: “We would normally applaud the opening of two new major stores in Bolton, but these shops are owned by the Arcadia Group, whose chairman is Sir Philip Green and whose wife, a resident of Monaco, is the named owner.

“Nationally, there are calls to remove the knighthood from Sir Philip Green, and there may be a criminal investigation.

“But I think we can make a stand locally and boycott the new stores because of the way Sir Philip Green has behaved towards BHS workers who have lost their jobs and who now face uncertainty over their pensions.”

Those who are not planning to boycott the stores can expect some special events and deals at the Market Place to celebrate the Topshop opening today.

Students are invited to a special late opening of the centre today, between 5.30pm and 8pm with discounts and offers available at numerous stores in the centre.

There will also be live music via a special Bolton FM broadcast and the centre’s new cinema The Light will be giving out free popcorn and a special student discount on tickets for when it opens at the end of the month.

Nikki Wilson-Cook, centre manager said: “We’re extremely excited about the opening of Topshop and Topman.

"To be chosen as the next location for these iconic brands to expand shows the recognition Bolton is getting as a place to invest. These stores are going to increase our fashion offer quite significantly — great news for style conscious people living in Bolton. We know the students of Bolton really love these stores and we expect Student Night to be busier than ever.”