The opening date has been revealed for the new Marks &Spencer Foodhall in Moseley.

There will be a free glass of fizz on the door – as well as veal and venison to buy from the counter.

It has taken more than a year to build the shop on St Mary’s Row which will include a 45-seat cafe.

The 9,000 sq ft store will employ 55 people – and with a range of 5,000 products on the shelves, that’s one person for every 91 items.

When planning permission for M&S was granted in 2014, it was the fifth attempt to develop the former Ford Meteor site which had been derelict for a decade.

The store will open to the public for the first time at 10am on Wednesday, September 27 and will have an 80-space car park accessible off Oxford Road.

What’s new at M&S in Moseley?

The new development on St Mary's Row
The new M&S development on St Mary's Row

Store manager Andrew Bloor will welcome the store’s first customers with a free glass of fizz.

New additions to the company’s Taste range will include Taste Thailand Fiery Chicken Jungle Curry.

Fresh meats for roasting or stewing will include new veal and venison cuts.

There will also be ‘indulgent deep and loaded’ Detroit-style pizzas, including meatball marinara and Philly steak.

The queue when M&S Longbridge opened on November 4, 2015

The in-store bakery will offer a range of artisan breads.

They will include the M&S Signature Sourdough which has been inspired by the traditional sourdoughs of San Francisco – and three new 100% spelt loaves, which are available at M&S for the first time.

Mr Bloor said: “I have been with M&S for 38 years now and I am delighted to be a part of the new M&S Foodhall in Moseley.

The queue for the café at the new Marks and Spencer store in Longbridge.
The queue for the café at the new Marks and Spencer store in Longbridge.

“The new store launch has been widely anticipated in the local community, and we’re looking forward to bringing the best of M&S food and drink to local shoppers.

“We will be working hard to ensure we offer fantastic service, putting our customers at the heart of everything we do and making this store a part of the local community.

Moseley M&S taking shape
Moseley M&S taking shape

“We can’t wait to welcome our first customers through our doors on September 27.”

Shoppers will also be able to use a Click & Collect service which gives customers the option to have their M&S orders delivered to the store the next day free of charge.

Where is it – and when is it open?

The view up St Mary's Row towards the new M&S

The address is St Mary’s Row, Moseley, B13 9EG.

The opening hours will be from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm on Saturday, and 10.30am to 4.30pm on Sunday.

The development has been constructed out of traditional brickwork with mock Tudor panels to match the 1930s’ mock-Tudor terraced properties at the top of the bend into Wake Green Road close the Michelin-starred restaurant Carters of Moseley .

The M&S frontage alongside Oxford Row is a mixture of brickwork and cladding, opposite the stonework of Calvary Church.

But it was revealed in May that associated plans for a health centre on the same site had been scrapped due to lack of interest from local GPs.

The number of sheltered flats has been increased to 14.

The nearby St Mary’s Church, parts of which date back to 1405, has been untouched by the scheme.

How will M&S fit into Moseley?

The centre of Moseley immediately after Storm Doris in February, 2017
The centre of Moseley immediately after Storm Doris in February, 2017

The cafe will add to the corporate competition that independent businesses like Damascena , Lewis’s , Cafephilia , Starfish and Java Lounge already face from JD Wetherspoon and Costa Coffee which opened this year inside a former Barclay’s bank.

A Keep Moseley Special campaign, aimed at preventing big chains from driving out independent retailers, has failed to keep other corporate businesses from entering the village with other newcomers including Prezzo and Pizza Express .

The new M&S site was at the centre of a snobbery row after Tesco withdrew a plan for the land following huge opposition from Moseley residents, prompting years of inactivity.

In contrast, the arrival of M&S has been broadly welcomed.

When work finally began on the site a year ago, Fiona Adams, of the Moseley Society, said: “On the whole, people are pleased that finally something is happening on the site and it is not going to be vacant any longer. Marks & Spencer will be a good employer of local people.”