Excited shoppers queued up to be the first through the door of a new supermarket this morning.

The German brand Lidl officially opened in St Peter's Street, Maidstone, at 8am.

Staff and customers celebrated as the mayor Cllr Derek Mortimer cut the ribbon to open the store.

He wished the team "all the success in the world".

The new supermarket is sharing a site with DIY store Wickes, splitting the building and car park between the two companies.

First through the door were Paul and Sally Savage, from Allington, who were looking to get some deals.

They said: "We have been coming to Lidl for years, ever since the first store came to Maidstone.

"From what we've seen so far, it certainly seems to be more upmarket – the other one was getting a bit run down.

"We are hoping to get some bargains and Christmas bits.

"We like the middle aisle. It is always a surprise and sometimes you pick up a good bargain, definitely worth a visit."

Terry Mash, from Poplar Grove, commented: "I thought I would check it out this morning – it's lovely!

"I'm quite pleased, it looks really nice. I normally use the Aldi store in Aylesford but I think they have ruined it by putting those freezers in the entrance.

"To have facilities are great as well, as I need to use the toilet more, so this is a big step in the right direction."

On opening day, customers could find exclusive deals and offers on­­ selected products.

Lai Tse was looking forward to getting her weekly shop.

She said: "The new store is great and bright.

"I would go to the branch in the Broadway every week, maybe one or two times. It was quite quiet."

John McCoy, who was shopping for himself and his neighbour, said: "It's 10 times better than the old store. I was quite surprised coming in here.

"The centre was a bit run down."

The new store replaces Lidl’s branch in the Broadway Shopping Centre, which finally shut at 6pm last night.

Doors to the existing walkway are closed and the inside of the building is empty – with people now unable to walk through the main part of the centre.

Some confused residents stood outside the automatic doors, with one saying: "I'm sure this normally should be open."

The underground car park is also barricaded off, with only a few cars remaining.

Lidl area manager Vicky Hall said: "The branch that we have just relocated from was an older building, so to have a fresh environment, brand new store and bigger car park that is more accessible has been a long time coming.

"Staff are very excited and have worked really hard over the last week to get where we are today.

"All the customers that we've had in this morning are our regulars, along with some new people, which is amazing – they couldn't wait to see our new store.

"We have built up a really good relationship with Wickes, which I think is great for the community as well.

"It was definitely the right decision to move out of the Broadway."

The supermarket also offers an improved shopping experience for customers, including new toilets with baby-changing facilities.

Vicky added: "We just want to be accessible for all our customers.

"I think some of our stores still don't have facilities, it does depend on space.

"But here we have both a toilet and a baby change, and I believe that will help massively."

Lidl's regional head of property, Adam Forsdick, commented: “It was fantastic to see so many of the local community come down to celebrate and we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support.

"We look forward to welcoming our loyal customers during the run up to Christmas, where they can experience our new and improved branch, while continuing to shop for great quality food at affordable prices.”

The store's opening times are 8am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sunday.