Punchline was invited along to a special preview tour this morning (16 October) just two days before John Lewis opens its 51st store in Cheltenham town centre.

The tour was led by John Lewis Cheltenham branch manager, Martin Bundy, who guided us through the finished shop ahead of its official opening on Thursday 18 October.

After over a year of construction, the 115,000 sq ft shop on the site of the former Beechwood shopping centre off Cheltenham High Street is nearly ready to be unveiled to the public.

It took 15 days to fill the shop with £6 million of the latest in fashion, gadgets, homeware, makeup and not to mention - this year's festive displays.

Exclusive to the Cheltenham store, there is also a fully furnished personal styling suite for men.

Within the flagship new store, customers will find over 49,000 products from more than a thousand brands. Over 300 employees have been recruited to work at the new store.

Famous in the Cotswolds for its locally sourced, high-quality produce, Huffkins, which has been operating since 1890, will serve traditional afternoon tea, with a selection of delicate finger sandwiches made with freshly baked bread and handmade scones out of its tearoom situated on the first floor within the new store.

Located at the heart of the shop is the 'Experience Desk'. This is where customers can come to find out everything that the shop has to offer, from booking a personal styling sessions to securing an appointment at the nail and brow bar.

There is also customer parking for 331 cars and as well as a pick-up zone for goods.

As well as the tour, Martin announced a selection of new services being launched this week, exclusively at its new shop in Cheltenham, aimed at creating a more tailored personalised experience for customers.

One of particular interest was a new service whereby businesses can book out the whole store and have exclusive use after-hours, with an expert team of John Lewis Partners on hand to create the ultimate bespoke shopping experience. The only catch being a minimum spend of £10,000.