product lines similar in style to the US chain `The Gap', the new boutique is designed to appeal to men and women between 18 and 25.

Clothes will be trendy, basic, casual and fashionable, said Dr. Grant Gibbons, managing director of Gibbons Company.

Many of the items will appeal to `combination dressers' who like to wear several layers of clothing, such as a T-shirt, a light top and a jacket.

The new department will be located in the basement of the Gibbons Co. store in Hamilton. The 2,000 square-foot area was previously used to sell china.

"We're targeting the young and the young at heart,'' said Dr. Gibbons. "This is a range of people we're missing at the moment.'' Although the boutique will be contained in the same building as all the other departments, it will have a separate name and identity, he added.

Dr. Gibbons said he wanted to keep the new name under wraps at the moment.

More details about the boutique will be released nearer to its opening date, which is expected to be within two months.