A charity in Lewisham has been selected by colleagues at the New Cross B&M to officially unveil the new venue - and it will be given "VIP treatment" as a thank you for all its hard work.

The colleagues at the New Cross B&M were asked to nominate a local charity they thought “deserved some VIP treatment for the work they do for the local community”.

The staff chose the dedicated volunteers at Lewisham Donation Hub, a project established during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Besides opening the store, the Lewisham Donation Hub team will be presented with £250 B&M vouchers.

The charity has been vital in collecting and organizing a range of donations to support those facing hardship within the community.

From emergency food assistance to clothing, home essentials, and even large electricals and furniture, the organisation's broad range of help reflects its commitment to making a positive impact.

A spokesperson for B&M said that this gift will “go towards helping the charity to continue doing the great work they do”.

The store manager also commented: “Lewisham Donation Hub really stood out for us, so we wanted to give them some VIP treatment as a thank you for all the hard work that they have done.

“We hope that our donation can help them to continue the great work they do.”

The new B&M store will be located at Unit 2, New Cross Gate Retail Park and will create 35 jobs for people in the area.

The venue was previously a Harvey’s & Bensons for Beds store which provides a space of 176,760sqft for the new B&M.

It will also undergo a comprehensive internal and external revamp before officially opening its doors at 8am on Thursday, February 29, 2024.

Customers can expect to find a wide variety of branded goods a range of food, drink, pet food, health and beauty products, homeware, electricals, DIY essentials, toys, games, gifts and more at the store.

The store manager from B&M said: “We’re feeling extremely positive about the creation of more jobs for local people, and we hope customers are going to be delighted with their new store.”

“We are all really excited to get the doors open and welcome new customers through the door.”

These openings are part of 45 new B&M locations planned for 2024 and the company says that same number is projected for the next financial year.

The company's website has already disclosed 17 locations as part of a series of 45 stores planned for a 2024 opening.

Last year saw a similar push in development, with numerous new stores popping up and several existing ones relocating.

All in all, the group looks set to have introduced 76 new stores across all its brands by March.

This includes 45 B&M stores within the UK, 11 in France, and 20 novel Heron outlets.