Escape rooms, fitness classes and an artisan food hall will be among the attractions at a new department store setting up shop in a former Debenhams.

New owners are investing £2.5 million in the project and will take on four floors of the empty high street building in Canterbury, bringing a “vibrant and fun” shopping experience to the city.

Alongside leading fashion and beauty concessions and homeware brands, it will offer interactive experiences, including the popular escape rooms, one-to-one Weight Watchers sessions and even activities like axe-throwing.

The company behind the project is 15:17 - a new brand which operates the Fresh, Local and Wild food halls and already has five major stores around the country, with 17 more planned.

“We have to be different so it’s about building engaging, interactive experiences alongside traditional retailing that help build resilience to what online can offer,” said 15:17 chief operating officer Scott Stibbs, who is a former area manager for Debenhams.

And he says he hopes up to 60% of the concessions in the new store will be local and independent names.

The company’s decision to open in Canterbury is a huge boost to retailing in the city, which has lost some big national names in the wake of the pandemic.

It is also welcome news following the revelation last week that the retail and residential redevelopment of the former Nasons department store opposite could be delayed for years because of environmental issues.

Mr Stibbs says cathedral cities remain hugely popular with visitors, and Canterbury was considered a prime location by the company, which is also opening stores in other former Debenhams and BHS sites.

“While the first three months of the pandemic accelerated the shift to online shopping by five years, our research shows that bricks and mortar are still going to influence 86% of retail purchases,” he said.

“People still want to touch and feel products and we believe our stores will fill a huge void.”

15:17 Canterbury has taken 80,000 sq ft of retail space over four floors of the main former Debenhams building, including the basement, and work is currently underway on repairs before the shop fitting begins.

The brand is two years old but has an experienced management team brought together from some of the biggest names on the High Street.

Mr Stibbs says the company is investing £2.5 million in the store, including the lease.

It is expected to create more than 50 jobs, as well as employing young people through the Kickstart jobs scheme.

He says the style of the new store will be “fresh and vibrant” and he wants the shopping experience to be “sociable and fun”.

“Whether it’s an early morning coffee or girlie brunch, we want to be the destination for it,” he said.

“But it will only work if the local people work with us and give us the chance to build up momentum.”

The new store - part of the Guildhall Quarter development - is planned to open in June, but the residential element on the upper floors of the building, including 74 flats, has been delayed by the same environmental issues facing the former Nasons site.

Read more: All the latest news from Canterbury