REVEALED: First look at new landmark John Lewis/Waitrose in Hampshire

This morning, The Echo had an exclusive tour of the new store in Basing View, which is expected to open its doors to the public on November 12.

The new store, which includes a 44,000 sq ft John Lewis at home store and a 25,000 sq ft Waitrose shop, represents the third, and the biggest, co-located store in the John Lewis partnership portfolio and will provide 369 retail jobs.

As well as browsing the products on sale in the two stores, customers will be able to enjoy a selection of hot and cold breakfasts, lunchtime salads and tea-time treats such as pastries, cakes and desserts in a customer cafe as well as tapas and deli platters from a wine and beer bar in the store.

The Basingstoke store will also be breaking the mould by being the first store to offer a nursery advice service for expectant parents and customers will be able to order items not in stock to be delivered to the store by 2pm the following day.

The £7million project is now entering into the final stages which will see the inside of the store fitted and the cladding on the outside of the building completed.

Nick Strachan, the architect for the project, said the new store was part of the larger project to transform Basing View and they wanted it to look like it had “grown out of the landscape”.

He said: “For us the process has been challenging, mainly because as part of the development, we have made lots of infrastructure improvements – we have widened the roads, the footpaths, cycle routes and bus stops.”

The mammoth 68-week construction process has seen over 57,000 tonnes of chalk removed from the site, 4,500 tonnes of concrete used, 600 tonnes of steel used for the building’s frame and 4,780 individually-installed feature tiles to create the store’s striking sail.

Jamie Rodgers, branch manager at Waitrose, said: "I am delighted and I have been working very closely with Ali. We have both been producing a modern Waitrose and John Lewis at home.

“The excitement is brimming for everyone and we are very proud of what we have achieved collaboratively with the guys building, the architect who designed it and all the people responsible over the many years and we are looking forward to the handover to traders and being able to operate the building.”

Ali Gilbert, branch manager at John Lewis at home, added: “We’re now entering the final countdown to opening our John Lewis at home Basingstoke shop and there’s a fantastic sense of anticipation amongst the team.

“We’re thrilled to offer this first look at the shop’s rapidly transforming interior and would like to thank the local community for their patience throughout the construction process. It is with huge delight to say that the wait is almost over.”

John Lewis at home will open from 9am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday, and from 10.30am to 5pm on Sundays.

Waitrose will open from 7.30am to 9pm, Monday to Saturday, and from 10.30am to 5pm on Sundays.