JEWELLERY retailer Argento has announced plans to open three new stores in Scotland by the end of the year as part of a £1 million expansion drive.

The Belfast-based chain, which is also planning four new stores in its native Northern Ireland, said the openings will take its store portfolio to just under 50, and well its 350 headcount by about 50.

The company currently has eight stores in Scotland across Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Stirling and Dundee trading as Argento and Pandora.