Basingstoke Renault dealer Martins has opened a sales point in the town’s Festival Place shopping centre.

The store, which was officially opened by Basingstoke mayor David Leeks on Thursday evening, allows shoppers to browse through a range of merchandise, see the cars themselves or even book a service. And for prospective buyers the three staff will arrange for a model to be driven to the centre from the town’s dealership so they can take it for a test drive.

Martins launched the facility with a display of a Lotus Renault F1 racing car, positioned in the walkway between it and the Starbucks coffee bar opposite.

Dealer principal Sarah Martin said: "It's been very busy, a lot of people want to come and see this beautiful car, which will be in here periodically over the next six months.

"We've worked really closely with Festival Place for the last three years and they approached us about the idea. We'd never thought about having a shop, but its quite brilliant. If you're out shopping with your husband or wife, they can wander in here and there's no pressure, it's not like a show room, they can just come in for a browse."

Martins Renault, which has branches in Basingstoke, Winchester and Andover, has taken on three new members of staff to run the store, which is open six days a week and shut on Mondays.