Lidl teams are readying themselves to open their doors for the very first time at their new store, which will be coming to Lakeside Retail Park.

The brand new supermarket, based at the retail site in Grays, West Thurrock, will open to the public for the first time on Thursday October 8 at 8am.

Around 40 new jobs are set to be created from the build, which is set to feature a 1,245m² sales area, an in-store bakery, longer-style tills, customer toilets, baby changing and ample parking for both cars and bicycles.

As part of Lidl's Feed it Back scheme, surplus food and customer donations at the store will be handed over to the Dartford Foodbank, who provide food to support those in need in the local community, along with the Genesis Christian Life Fellowship, who use the donated food to help families in the area meet their basic needs.

Lidl GB’s regional head of property, Andrew Hodgkinson, said: “We would like to thank all those who have played a part in bringing this new Lidl store to Grays.

"It is great for us to be able to create more jobs and investment opportunities in the area, and we can’t wait to start serving our multi-award winning products to the local community.”

And a whole range of measures, including two metre floor markings, regular distancing reminders through tannoy announcements, dedicated cleaning stations at store entrances with hand sanitiser, disinfectant and wipes for customers to use on trolleys and baskets will be in place to keep guests and staff safe.

Opening times are between 8am - 10pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am – 4pm on Sunday.

During the first week of opening customers will be able to find exclusive deals and offers on selected products including a Silvercrest Stand Mixer (£19.99), a Vileda VR One Cleaning Robot (£49.99) and a Toshiba 43” Full HD Smart TV (£129.00).