Lord Mayor Cllr Carolyn Parry and Pret general manager Andrew Mullem hand first customer Craig Maxwell his free lunch.

by Adam Williams

Coffee and sandwich chain Pret A Manger gave away 700 free lunches on Monday to celebrate the opening of their latest store on the corner of The Parade and Mercery Lane.

Abbey employee Craig Maxwell was the first customer through the door as Lord Mayor Cllr Carolyn Parry cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony.

The former Boots store has two floors of seating and a basement kitchen, but the most impressive feature of the Grade I listed building lies even deeper underground. A vaulted cellar, dating as far back as the 13th century, contains a well with crystal clear water from the city’s aquifer.

Exposed brickwork and heavy oak beams don the walls upstairs as part of the refurbishment. Pret senior project manager Dave Wilbor admits the development has been one of his most enjoyable so far.

He said: "it’s been a real challenge to work within a space such as this because we’ve had so many factors to consider during the planning process.

"Throughout we’ve consulted very closely with Clive Bowley from the Canterbury Historical Society about what we could and couldn’t do, and that’s been a huge help."

He added: "As a company we look at hundreds of sites around the country to open new stores, but it has to be the right location and the right kind of building and here we’ve got the perfect combination."

A team of up to 17 staff will be employed at the store, which will donate all unsold sandwiches to homeless charity Porchlight as part of its "just made" policy.