The Lincolnshire Co-op has announced a date for the opening of its first food store in Grantham.

The store was to open earlier this month, but supply and other problems associated with the coronavirus crisis has delayed the opening until next month.

The Lincoln-based company this afternoon said it would now open the new food store off Springfield Road on Thursday May 14.

The £1.5m outlet on the corner of Hanbury Avenue and Springfield Road has created 15 jobs.

There will be a range of services on offer including groceries, baked goods from Gadsby's Bakery, food-to-go options and chilled beers and wines.

It will also stock products from Lincolnshire Co-op's Love Local range, which features goods sourced from the area, including Grantham Gingerbread, Grantham Gin and dressings from the Lincolnshire Drizzle company.

The outlet features a car park and will open from 7am until 8pm, seven days a week.

To help ensure the safety of staff and the public, there will be social distancing measures in place including a limit of 10 customers at a time, markings on the floors to mark out two metre distances, till screens and a sanitising station at the one entrance.

The store may also sometimes need to temporarily close or close off aisles to allow for restocking.

Food Store Manager Kieran Hitch said: "It's a challenging time for everyone and we're glad we can now open this store and start providing our services to the community.

We have social distancing measures in store to protect our customers and our colleagues and we're sure the local community will work together with us to ensure we all stay safe."

It's the first Lincolnshire Co-op food store in the area, joining the Society's Barrowby Gate Pharmacy and Grantham Travel Branch – which is still taking calls from customers, though it