Bosses at Wex said the store in the Moor Allerton District Centre, which is the company’s tenth in the UK, will create multiple full and part-time job vacancies and is part of a strategic move to increase its market share in the North of England.

A spokesman said: “While interest in photography and filmmaking reached new heights over the last year, Wex also benefited from the rise of new hobbies away from the core business, including astronomy, birdwatching and computing. For astronomy alone, Wex saw a 260 per cent increase in web traffic compared to pre-pandemic levels, with a number of other categories also showing strong growth.”

“Founded originally as a Norwich camera shop, Wex’s online presence now represents the majority of its consumer business, but the retailer remains fully committed to bricks and mortar.”

Louis Wahl, the chief executive at Wex Photo Video, said: “The last year has been challenging but Wex remains in a strong position, thanks to thriving online sales driven by a spike in demand during lockdown.

“We’re committed to multichannel growth and will continue to invest in physical stores to serve our customers all over the UK. With such a high density of photographers in the Leeds area, alongside a growing media presence, this was the natural location for Wex’s tenth store.”