A BIG step forward has been taken in the building of the city's newest Costa Coffee shop.

The city's seventh Costa is currently being built at Blackpole Retail Park along with a Greggs and a tanning shop.

The familiar red signs have gone up on the unit at the front and at the rear of the cafe.

Signs reading "Come back and discover your new favourite" have been put up at the coffee shop.

Costa has now confirmed the newest coffee shop will be open early next month and in October were advertising for 15 jobs at the cafe.

A Costa Coffee spokeswoman said: “We’re delighted to confirm that a brand new Costa Coffee store will open on Blackpole Retail Park, Worcester, in early December 2021. 

"We look forward to sharing further information on this exciting new store in due course.”

The new businesses will be in a 397 square metre ‘pod’ next to the M&S Foodhall, which opened in 2019, replacing 31 car parking spaces.

Brickwork and the canopy have been completed at the units with work now beginning on the shops' interiors.

Costa would move into the biggest space with Greggs taking over one of the other units.

The lost car parking spaces would be replaced elsewhere in the retail park.

There will also be two outdoor seating areas built outside Costa and Greggs.

Worcester has three Costa Coffee cafes in the city centre, at the two Tesco supermarkets and at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.