AFTER months of anticipation Waitrose will open its first ever city store this Thursday.

The high-end £20 million flagship supermarket, based in London Road, is nearly double the size of its Malvern store and features a range of John Lewis goods, a coffee shop with outside seating, fish, cheese, meat and patisserie counters as well as 285 parking spaces.

The supermarket will welcome its first shoppers through the doors at 8am.

Earlier this month Alison Newell, Waitrose resourcing consultant, told the Worcester News that all 120 jobs which had been created had been filled after a "phenomenal response" that saw 1,300 applicants.

The new recruits are now all members of the John Lewis Partnership, Britain's biggest employee ownership model, entitling them to exclusive benefits, including leisure and learning subsidies, shopping discounts and a share in profits in the form of an annual bonus.

The former Ebenezer Baylis print works has been demolished to make way for the new outlet, with a new road layout at the top of London Road including a dedicated turn-off into the car park.

The opening will come as a relief to some residents living near the site who complained about the extensive roadworks that have surrounded the building in recent months.

Waitrose director of development, Nigel Keen, said: "At a time when many retailers’ estates are contracting, we are delighted to be opening new shops around the country.

"Many of these new shops go beyond the traditional supermarket, delivering exciting modern shopping experiences, which tap into the growing demand for grazing and casual dining."

The opening of Waitrose is sure to gather similar interest to the opening of the Lidl supermarket, when 10,000 people walked through the doors of the Windermere Drive store on its first day in February.