Marks & Spencer has revealed its new store in Maidstone will open in less than two weeks.

The shop, located in Eclipse Retail Park, will welcome its first customers on Wednesday, August 12, from 9am.

It will comprise clothing, food and home departments, a 130-seat café and join Next Home & Fashion, which opened a store at the retail park, near junction 7 of the M20, in 2014.

Initially, construction company Gallagher Group, said the 7,808 square metre store would be ready last year but the opening date was pushed back due to large amounts of paperwork needing to be completed, directors said.

When the project secured planning permission in 2018, the director claimed "Maidstone will be our premier opening in 2019 for the whole country".

Led by store manager, André Brincat, the new outlet will be run by a team of around 130 staff.

In addition, to celebrate the relaunch of Sparks, M&S’s customer loyalty scheme, for the first week the Eclipse outlet is open, the team will, once a day, give one randomly-selected customer their shopping for free.

Parking is also free at the retail park, with 260 spaces available for visitors to use.

An employee of the company for 11 years, Mr Brincat said: "My team and I are really excited about our new flagship store in Maidstone. When open, we’ll be working hard to provide outstanding service and help make every penny count for the community. Our new store will offer thousands of great quality food products, the latest in clothing inspiration and essentials for the whole family.

“We’re really looking forward to welcoming the community and we will have measures in place to reflect the latest guidelines, to ensure everyone can shop safely and with peace of mind."

The store's opening times will be Monday to Saturday, 8am to 9pm and Sunday, 10.30am to 4.30pm.

Gallagher also has planning permission for offices and a hotel at Eclipse Park.

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