Cheltenham is back.
That's the message following John Lewis' decision to open a flagship store in the centre of town. Cheltenham is a superb retail destination with a rich variety of independent shops.
But local rivals have been chipping away over the last decade to try to steal our crown.
They've made too much headway for my liking. This announcement shows we're fighting back.
On top of new jobs, this investment will help cement our reputation for shopping excellence.
It will attract new visitors and increase footfall. That in turn will mean more customers for our brilliant independent retailers.
But anyone who thinks we can now afford to relax and lose focus is plain wrong. Competition hasn't gone away. Shoppers can choose from a bewildering number of destinations, from a resurgent Gloucester, to Oxford and Cribbs Causeway. That's why this announcement should not be the end of our efforts; it should be the beginning.
Now is the time to press home our advantage and redouble our efforts to make Cheltenham the pre-eminent regional shopping destination.
To achieve that we have to do two things.
First, we have to make parking cheaper. It is simply not sustainable to have a system where parking in town is significantly more expensive and less flexible than in rival centres.
We need to bring the cost down and pilot imaginative schemes to attract visitors. I have proposed my '30-for-30' scheme (30 minutes for 30p) but there are plenty of other proposals that should be considered.
I understand the council is now going to review parking. I wish them every success. There's no time to lose.
Second, we need to tidy up our town. There are far too many 'grot spots', from unsightly tarmac in-fills in the High Street to derelict buildings and litter-strewn verges. They let the town down.
It's why I launched my grot spot campaign, even raising in Parliament the issue of the decaying Springbank Shopping Centre and old Carlton Street Post Office.
It's also why on Sunday I was delighted to join the plucky Wombles as they rolled up their sleeves to clear vast amounts of rubbish from the St James' car park grot spot.
It was great to see people coming together from all walks of life for the benefit of Cheltenham. It shows that Cheltonians are do-ers, not talkers.
So, let's be proud of Cheltenham and ambitious for our future. Cheltenham is roaring back.
But let's make sure we're back for good.