THE date for when Colchester's new B&Q store will open has been confirmed.

The DIY giant will be moving to its new home at the £60 million Stane Retail Park in Stanway this month.

It has been confirmed the firm's existing store, in Lightship Way, will close to shoppers on Thursday October 21.

The new shop at Stane Park will then open on Friday October 22.

B&Q has confirmed all staff from the Lightship way store will either transferred to the new Stanway site, or have been offered roles elsewhere.

The opening has been delayed from October 8 after developer Churchmanor Estates had issues with supply.

The new shop will have the following features:

• A purpose-built garden centre with new dedicated Zen, Family and Horticulture

• display zones

• A showroom featuring the latest kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms in interactive, inspirational displays

• A dedicated load and go area for TradePoint customers to support bulk orders and easy access

• A first of its kind ‘shop in a shop’ for workwear

• A digital hub to support store to home delivery

• Services including paint mixing and Click + Collect.

To mark the launch, B&Q will be holding an opening celebration at the store on Friday October 29, with a community mural activity and B&Q gift cards up for grabs for customers.

Read more >> Signage plans revealed for £60m retail park featuring B&Q, M&S and Aldi

Caroline Voutsinas, store manager, said: “Everyone in the team is looking forward to welcoming customers to our new Stane Park store.

"With the increasing trend for home improvement in the past few years, we are looking forward to offering our customers an even better shopping experience, with increased convenience, a better range of products, and of course, help and advice from our B&Q in-store team.

"The Stane Park store has so many exciting new features, from the garden centre to the showroom, as well as Load and Go for our trade customers, to help the people of Colchester create their dream home.”

The retail park will also be home to Aldi, set to open in November, and an M&S Foodhall, which could open in "early 2022".