Half of the 21 Haldanes stores that shut last summer have new tenants.

Retailers taking over the sites, which closed in June after the chain fell into administration with debts of £8.6m, include Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Wilkinson.

B&M Bargains and The Original Factory Shop have both taken on two sites each.

However, residents and businesses in towns such as Kelso in Scotland, where stores remain unoccupied, are still calling on local councils to hunt for new tenants.