A popular shopping centre in south Essex will see a major retail company open inside its former Debenhams unit this autumn. 

M&S at Lakeside shopping centre, in West Thurrock, is set to move from its current location to a new unit in the centre this year as part of a £20 million investment.

Earlier this week, the major British retailer revealed the new store at the former Debenhams unit will be opening later this autumn as they shared a sneak peek of how the inside of the M&S will look.

The new 97,000 sqft store will offer shoppers a fresh market-style foodhall, as well as a spacious and stylish clothing, home and beauty department.

Marking her tenth year working for the company, Dior Hudson has been appointed to lead the opening of the new store. She will oversee the work between now and later this year to get the new store ready to open to the public.

New team members will be recruited to join the existing M&S colleagues who will transfer to work in the new store.

As well as creating more than 90 new jobs in the area, the new-look M&S store follows the retailer’s recent announcement that it plans to invest £500million in its store rotation programme, creating more than 3,400 new jobs nationwide.

Inside the new M&S foodhall, customers will find a wide selection of cheeses, as well as fresh displays brimming with produce from M&S select farms.

Shoppers can also visit the in-store bakery for freshly baked breads and pastries - including the retailer’s famous Sourdough made using a traditional 30-hour process - or grab a bottle from the dedicated M&S wine shop.

Dior said: “It’s exciting to share a sneak peek of the brand new Foodhall design as we look forward to welcoming the community to our new Lakeside Thurrock store when we open later this year!

“The new foodhall is packed with so many exciting features which we can’t wait to reveal, and we’re counting down the days to finally open the doors and have local customers experience it for themselves.”

The opening times for the new store will be 8am to 9pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sunday.