Your guide for your leisure time in & around Oxfo rdshire
GROUP
Didcot, Wallingford & Thame Thursday, March 8 - Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Weekly leisure guide for in and around Oxford
£35,000 fine after rats found in restaurant
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Enjoy a girls night out with Kathy Lette all-round bonne vivant take you on a journey
Terence Rattigan’s The Winslow Boy comes to The Playhouse
oxfordshireguardian.co.uk
Time running out to save village pub
Out& About
Free
Keeping warm in the snow at wildlife park
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Two weeks to go until new stores open up their doors
By Owen Hughes TWO weeks today customers will be able to shop at the new M&S Food Hall, TK Maxx, H&M, Boots and Starbucks at the expanded Orchard Centre. The retail giants are the fi rst to confi rm the March 22 opening date for the £50million development. The staggered opening will see TK Maxx fi rst to cut the metaphorical ribbon at 9am, followed by M&S at 10am, and H&M an hour later. Phase II of the 8,825sqm extension
has been anchored by the flagship M&S Food Hall. Store manager Matt Eastgate said: “My team and I are really excited to reveal our opening date and can’t wait to show the community what we’ve been working on. “We’re counting down the days and once we’re open we’ll be ensuring we put our customers at the heart of everything we do.” The store will be open Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm, and 11am to 4pm on Sundays, and feature a 48-seat M&S Café and a team of 50
locally recruited staff. The H&M store measures around 1,500sqm and will offer its fi rst 200 customers an exclusive goodie bag. All those in the queue before 11am will receive a 25 per cent discount for the day. Carlos Duarte, H&M’s country manager for UK & Ireland, said: “We are delighted to be opening a brand new store in Didcot. “This new location is an exciting opportunity for the brand to expand and bring our fantastic fashion offering to customers.”
Clothing retailer TK Maxx will create up to 40 jobs at its 1,400sqm store. Last month, developer Hammerson announced the muchanticipated addition of popular chicken restaurant Nando’s at the entrance to a new restaurant area. Andrew Berger-North, a director at developers Hammerson, said: “We are delighted to be opening the fi rst phase of stores. “Over 60 per cent of the new floor space has already been let, and a number of exciting brands are
currently under offer or in advanced talks to take space in Didcot for the fi rst time.” Councillor Jane Murphy, deputy leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “This will really help to attract more people to the area and I look forward to seeing more shops and restaurants opening in the coming weeks.” An additional 325 parking spaces will be provided for shoppers, bringing the total up to 875 at the Orchard Centre. There will also be more cycle racks for customers.
More printed copies than any other weekly newspaper in Oxfordshire (16,103 audited JICREG pending)
g n i r u o l o C r e t s Ea Competition
Enter our colouring competition and you could win an Easter prize! Visit any of our high street offices and collect your entry form to return by the 23rd March for judging.