JOHN LEWIS has announced its highly anticipated £18m store will open in September, alongside the wider Bond Street development.

Shoppers will be able to peruse the 90,000 sq ft store and the new Foyles, Joules, Jack Wills and White Company shops from 9.30am on Thursday 29.

John Lewis branch manager Laura Rawstron, said: “I’m thrilled to be able to confirm that John Lewis Chelmsford will open.

"The business has had ambition to open a shop in Essex for some time now, and the Bond Street development couldn’t be a better proposition for us.

"I am delighted to be welcoming a team who I know will deliver the exceptional levels of customer service that John Lewis is renowned for to the people of Chelmsford and Essex, and look forward to meeting our very first customers in just over two months time.”

As well as offering more than 65,000 fashion, beauty, home and electrical products, the shop will bring together a beauty treatment room, foreign exchange bureau and a nursery advice service.

Customers will also be able to take advantage of John Lewis’s click and collect facility, and benefit from 20 minutes free parking in the Bond Street car parks.

Tony Chambers, the chairman for Aquila which spearheaded the development, said:“ The opening of the new John Lewis store, along with a fantastic range of other shops and restaurants, will transform the shopping experience in Chelmsford.

"This has been a long time coming but I am confident it will prove to be worth waiting for.”

Located at the heart of the city centre, the development will also feature a range of riverside restaurants and an Everyman cinema.

The opening date announcement comes as John Lewis Chelmsford launches its search for local charities to support as part of its Community Matters programme.

Anyone can nominate a charity which sees £3,000 split between three important local charities every 12 weeks.

Nominations for Essex’s first Community Matters programme can be made by sending a 100-200 word nomination to CommunityMattersEssex@johnlewis.co.uk. Emails should highlight the charity’s cause and why it’s important to Chelmsford residents. The deadline closes on Friday 22 July at 6pm.