Three well-known names in UK retail and leisure have signed up to the Resorts World development at the NEC.

Restaurant chains PizzaExpress and TGI Friday's will join clothing giant Next at the conference and leisure development next to Pendigo Lake.

Next becomes the third anchor store at the project after tenancies were agreed with Nike and Gap Outlet at the end of last year.

TGI Friday's will take 6,200 sq ft, PizzaExpress has agreed a lease on 3,000 sq ft and Next will occupy just under 10,000 sq ft.

Almost 80 per cent of space across the scheme is now let.

The £150 million Resorts World Birmingham development will also have a four-star hotel and spa, Cineworld cinema and casino in addition to the leisure and retail element and is due to open this summer, making it the first European Resorts World in the global group.

Steve Myers, managing director of development with the site's operator Genting UK, said: "Next is one of the UK's most popular and successful retail brands and we welcome them to the Resorts World development as one of the three anchor retail units.

"In addition, having exchanged agreements with both PizzaExpress and TGI's, we have secured two further national operators to the scheme in line with our leasing strategy.

"We are excited by these additions to the tenant mix, which is crucial to us as owner operators, and will shortly be announcing further high profile operators for the remaining retail and leisure space."