Chester Waitrose completed

A £20m Waitrose store in the former Boughton Retail Park is open for business.

The 29,000 sq ft supermarket is the largest Waitrose in the county, and includes a 320-space underground car park. The scheme is the anchor for a wider development at the site, which will see a 120-bedroom hotel and office blocks.

The unit was built by Barr Construction. The store includes a café, wine and beer bar, wine department and bakery.

At the opening, the retailer said the Boughton site represents one of the biggest investments it has ever made in a single store.

The Little Waitrose convenience shop in Foregate Street has now closed and staff relocated to the new store. Waitrose is in discussions with another party to take over the vacated unit.

Branch manager Dickie Danby, was joined by Conservative MP for Chester, Stephen Mosley, and the Mayor of Chester Bob Rudd.

Danby said: "Chester will be a flagship store for Waitrose, delivering the very latest services that the brand has to offer. It represents a significant investment from Waitrose in Chester and we are excited to expand our presence in the city and look forward to providing our shoppers with a fantastic new branch."

Planning approval for the scheme was secured by Manchester-based How Planning.