The new Morrisons store in St Ives opens its doors to the public for the first time at 9am on Thursday (March 8).

Around 250 new jobs are being created with the opening of the long-awaited supermarket, off Harrison Way, which will stock more than 200 locally-sourced products.

Manager Paul White said: “As a result of listening to St Ives residents we are pleased to offer them more food in our new store made locally. We hope customers will love it.”

The store, first suggested nearly four years ago, is the first branch of Morrisons in the Huntingdon area, although local shoppers do use the outlet at nearby Cambourne.

Councillor Angie Dickinson, chairman of St Ives Town Initiative which works to boost commerce in the town, welcomed the opening of the store.

“I think anything which attracts people to St Ives has got to be good for the town,” she said.

“St Ives has needed another good supermarket in the town centre for a number of years and we have recently lost Budgens which has now become a Poundstretcher which has more of an emphasis on household goods.

“I think it is going to bring more people in to the town who will go on to find out what the rest of St Ives has to offer.”

Cllr Dickinson said the new store would help to keep money in the local community and was creating jobs which would also benefit the town.

The 25,000 sq ft store will be the biggest in the town and will feature the firm’s Market Street area containing a butcher, fishmonger, cake shop, bakery, deli and pizza stalls.

There will also be a barista bar serving freshly-ground coffee and a patisserie counter, takeaway food, a cafe with outside seating, the nutmeg clothing range for women, children and babies, free wi-fi and a petrol station which also provides convenience food.

Morrison was first given the go-ahead to build a supermarket on the edge of the town in 2014. It received a lot of support from the community, but the move coincided with a major change in supermarket shopping patterns and nothing happened on the site, leaving residents with the impression that it would not get off the ground.

But last year Morrisons made a revised planning application for the building and work started in July.