Hundreds of jobs could be created after two retail giants unveiled plans for new stores in Sussex.

Clothes firm Next has applied to create a flagship outlet on the site of the current Homebase shop in Shoreham.

The company has pledged the store will be its first branch to offer garden and outdoor living products.

The news comes as German supermarket trader Aldi revived its plans to build a new store in Lewes.

Both, if approved, could bring hundreds of retail and construction jobs to the county.

Next has submitted a planning application to Adur District Council for the unit at Holmbush Farm Retail Park in Upper Shoreham Road.

Homebase said it expected to close its branch on the site on November 27 with its staff being offered alternative jobs within the company where possible.

Next, which already has stores in Haywards Heath, Worthing and two branches in Brighton, revealed it wanted to increase the size of the building occupied by Homebase.

The application said: "This will be the first Next store in which the nonfashion home ranges occupy a larger floor space than the clothing and footwear lines."

It added that if planning permission for the expansion was not granted the retailers would use the unit as a conventional Next shop.

Aldi has also resubmitted an application to open a store in Brooks Road, Lewes.

The multi-national was given the go-ahead for the shop, along with office space, in October 2007 but never began work on the site.

The chain has now applied to Lewes District Council to create a food store saying the plan to include office space was no longer profitable.

Stores of a similar size have created up to 40 jobs.

If approved, it would be in direct competition with the nearby Tesco's.

Gill Edinburgh, deputy chief executive of Sussex Enterprise, the county s chamber of commerce, said although the new jobs were welcome, retail posts were not the type the county needed to create.

She said: "We welcome any news that indicates new job opportunities opening up for local people.

"However, to keep Sussex competitive both nationally and internationally, we need to see the creation of high-skilled technical, manufacturing and professional jobs that will enable the region to be at the forefront of an export-led economic recovery."