About 60 jobs are expected to be created at Leicester's Highcross in the next few weeks with the arrival of more new stores.

General manager Mark Murphy said five "household names" were keen to open outlets at the shopping centre, which celebrates its second birthday today.

He would not give away the names of the shops, but said he was confident the five remaining empty units in the centre would be filled in the next two months.

Mr Murphy also said he was expecting the centre's busiest Christmas yet after retailers reported a rise in sales over the past year.

"We're in talks with a number of well-known operators who are interested in coming here," said Mr Murphy.

"At the moment, we're 97 per cent full – we've got more stores than ever. When we opened, that figure was 80 per cent.

"In just two years, Highcross has made a huge impact on Leicester city centre.

"The past 12 months have remained a tough period for retailers, but we continue to attract renowned brands, such as Café Rouge and Foot Asylum, improving our offer and ensuring that we remain one of the leading shopping and leisure destinations in the East Midlands."

In the past year, stores in the centre have reported a 7.9 per cent rise in like-for-like sales, which excludes outlets not open 12 months ago.

Mr Murphy said: "We're doing very well indeed and I'm confident that will continue as we head towards Christmas.

"If you look at other centres around the country, we're doing significantly better than our competition."

Some 15 new stores, including Bank, Mango and Lipsy, have opened in the past year.

The centre, which has 120 units, remains on course to attract 20 million visitors this year, compared to 18.5 million in its first year of trading.

However, Mr Murphy said the city needed to do a better job of promoting itself to attract more shoppers from outside the county.

A member of the City Centre Management Board, Mr Murphy said: "We're not shouting enough about how good we are as a destination.

"We've got The Lanes, the Curve, a vibrant market – although it needs some money spent on it – and we need to do a better job of selling ourselves so that Leicester is somewhere people can imagine coming to spend a day out."

In the past 12 months, Highcross has given £60,000 to charities.

City council leader Veejay Patel said: "Highcross has established itself as a key destination in Leicester.

"Its continued success, throughout some of the most challenging economic times in recent history, provides grounds for much optimism."