The seeds of John Lewis‘ $18 million investment in its first Essex store is finally bearing fruit, with the Chelmsford store opening its doors this morning.

The new department store, which takes up three floors and 90,000 sq ft of trading space, is the latest opening in Chelmsford‘s £150 million Bond St development.

The shop has the largest beauty hall out of all of John Lewis’s small full-line department stores, taking up a 7900 sq ft footprint.

John Lewis Chelmsford first broke ground in January 2015 and its interior design plays homage to the city’s heritage as the birthplace of radio.

It has employed 300 staff from the local city and surrounding area.

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