A MASSIVE 1300 people have had their hopes of working at Scotland's newest shopping complex dashed.

Store bosses at the £40million Antonine Shopping Centre in Cumbernauld had pledged to recruit 300 staff in just two days.

But they were stunned when they received 1600 applications.

For every job up for grabs there were more than five potential recruits.

The 40 shops in the centre will employ 600 staff in total.

Cut-price designer chain TK Maxx was searching for 60 workers.

A spokeswoman said: "We were overwhelmed with the enthusiasm and quality of the people who attended the jobs fair.

"We were also delighted because we filled more than half our vacancies on the first day."

Ten stores at the complex took part in the event.

It was organised by the Cumbernauld Retail Consortium ahead of the centre's opening in May.

Angela Gibson, of Dunnes Stores, said: "The calibre of candidates who attended the recruitment fair ranged from good to excellent."

And Alasdair MacLeod, of Next, added: "It was an excellent turnout and was a worthwhile event in our search for staff."

There was also an added bonus for dozens of potential recruits who are desperate to escape the dole queue.

Lynn Gow, of the CRC, said: "We have also offered 37 unemployed individuals the opportunity to undertake specially tailored training courses to prepare them for a career in retail."

The centre will play host to a range of top stores ranging from River Island to Henderson Jewellers covering 350,000sq ft of retail space.

Built over 20 acres of land it's the latest rival in the out-of-town shopping scene in the West of Scotland.

The competition will become even fiercer in October when Silverburn in Glasgow's Pollok opens. It will be twice the size of Braehead.

Located off Tryst Road, the Antonine will offer 1000 free car parking spaces and it will be linked to existing shopping facilities by escalators, lifts and walkways.

Cumbernauld has a population of 60,000 and surveys show more than half prefer to shop in Glasgow city centre while another 21% travel to Falkirk or Stirling.

Retail analysts say it's the worst "under-shopped" town of its size and stature in the UK and predict the Antonine will trigger a whopping 84% rise in local expenditure.

Consultants are also predicting retail sales will rocket from £45m to £119m.

Traders are considering holding a second recruitment drive next month.