THE latest addition to Newport's Friars Walk has been announced, with a restaurant joining the likes of Las Iguanas, Nandos and Chiquito in the city centre mall.

Loungers, an 'informal café/bar' is the ninth eaterie to be announced for the scheme and will be sited at the Usk Plaza, the leisure section of Friars Walk. Loungers will take a 3,000 sq ft unit.

Alex Reilley, of Loungers, said: “We already have a presence in South Wales with four restaurants in Cardiff and are really excited to be opening a Loungers in Newport city centre. We will be naming our Newport restaurant the Drago Lounge, which is Italian for Dragon and fitting as we will be located close to the Newport Gwent Dragons' rugby ground. Newport is currently undergoing a massive transformation and Friars Walk will make a big difference to the city. We are pleased to be part of this change.”

Chris Daly, of developer Queensberry Real Estate, added: “Loungers is an excellent brand, adding an exciting all day into evening offer to our already strong line-up of restaurants planned for the Usk Plaza at Friars Walk. This announcement highlights the pull for new restaurants to Newport. It's helps cement it as a new destination for shopping, dining and leisure.

"Our line-up is really strong, we have one further restaurant under offer leaving one last opportunity. We are looking for an operator that adds something different to the mix but complements it at the same time. It would be great to add a local or regional restaurant.”

Construction of the 390,000 sq ft retail and leisure scheme in the heart of Newport city centre is well advanced and is 65% let and opens in November this year.

Loungers will join Le Bistrot Pierre, Las Iguanas, Nandos, Chiquito, GBK, Prezzo and Cosmo and will be located close to Cineworld, an eight-screen multiplex cinema. The combination of retail and leisure close to other leisure offers such as The Riverfront Theatre, Newport Centre, and Rodney Parade will give people a choice of things to do in close proximity to one another all day and in to the evening.

Friars Walk will bring more than 390,000 sq ft of modern retail and leisure space, including a ebenhams Department Store, 35 retail units including Next, H&M, Top Shop, River Island and New Look, 11 restaurants, 350 parking spaces and a major new bus station interchange.

On completion the scheme will provide an estimated 1,200 jobs worth around £15 million in salaries a year to the local economy. This is in addition to the jobs created during the construction phase and the potential for local companies to be involved in the supply chain of the centre.