Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook Centre and new Tesco Extra store are both days away from opening to the public and we’ve been on an exclusive tour.

Check out a selection of photos below (scroll to the bottom of this story), or you can browse the full set of 100+ images here, (you can also see them as a slideshow here).

The grand opening for the Willow Brook Centre will be on Monday, 13 October 2008 – and workers are busy getting it ready for the public.

Despite the Examiner’s late visit, the mall and town square were a hive of activity with shop-fitters getting the various stores ready.

In the town square, Costa Coffee, fast food chain KFC and bakers Greggs sit next to each other directly in front of the car park.

Each of these three stores look almost complete with last-minute fine-tuning going on.

As you walk into the town square you will find sandwich firm Subway on your left with its distinctive colours visible inside.

Also in the town square is a “gateway” arch which features gates which have been bought in from France to reflect the town’s twinning with Champs Sur Marne.

The building itself features a blue neon trim – a theme that goes inside the mall area where you will find “mood lighting” which changes depending on the time of day.

Inside there is Nationwide, Shoe Zone and Carphone Warehouse busy with others – like Reflections hairdressing – due to begin fitting out at the weekend.

Managers said the “intention” was to get all of the shops open for Monday, and were working flat out to achieve this, but conceded some may open a few days later.

In Tesco Extra itself you will find some 92,000 sq ft of retail on the ground floor alone – the higher level features electronics and clothes.

The shop has 35 tills, five express but no self service tills – these have not been fitted because of security worries surrounding the open front to the shop.

Other features of the shop include a new opticians, an enlarged pharmacy, a photo developing service and a huge homeware area.

Another feature is the new “dotcom” service which will see 11 vans – with the capacity for 20 – taking charge of the home delivery business through Bradley Stoke and also as far afield south as Avonmouth and east to almost Chippenham.

The staff in Tesco will spend the next few days stocking up the fresh produce area ready for Monday.

One final fact – Warehouse manager Emma has been wearing a pedometer while the store was fitted and stocked and has averaged more than 10 miles of walking a day.

Demolition work on the old store is due to begin on Wednesday, the new large retail units will be open in the summer of 2009.