The Musgrave Group said yesterday it would invest £5 million (#6.4 million) in its specialist children's entertainment and leisure franchise, World of Wonder.

The expansion includes a new franchise with Roches Stores to open 11 World of Wonder shops in its existing department stores. The first opens at Roches Stores in Patrick Street, Cork, in March. Similar shops are planned for Roches Stores in Dublin, Galway, Waterford and Newry.

Overall, Musgrave plans to open 24 stores this year, bringing its total to 31. The stores will generate an estimated turnover of £30 million, says the company.

It said the franchise would allow Roches to expand into the computer games and technology equipment market and to cater for the nine- to 14-year-old market. Until now, Roches has concentrated on traditional toys.

The Irish toy market is valued at £120 million, an increase of 6 per cent from last year, Musgrave said, adding that the toy and children's leisure and entertainment markets had increased steadily in recent years, due in part to greater affluence and to the increasing birth rate. On average, more than £170 will be spent on leisure and entertainment products for each of the 700,000 under-12s in the State, it said.

The World of Wonder franchise is the latest agreement reached between Musgrave and Roches Stores. The eight Roches Stores supermarkets also trade under the MusgraveSuperValu brand franchise following a deal in September 1998.