A major step in the redevelopment of the Buttermarket Centre in the heart of Ipswich will be completed next week when the New Look store moves to its new location.

The store is moving to the other side of the centre, with an entrance facing on to the Butter Market street, as part of the massive redesign to create a leisure-based centre.

It is the first big move, its new store has been created by combining several smaller units which saw the closure of Starbucks’ coffee shop and the centre’s cafe.

The current New Look store is due to be converted into family restaurants as part of the redevelopment of the centre which will include a 16-screen cinema.

New Look’s move is due to take place next Thursday – and will come a week before the town prepares for the festive season with the switch-on of its Christmas lights.

The work on the centre, which has been estimated to cost more than £10m, is expected to be completed towards the end of next year.

TK Maxx is also due to move – it is taking over the ground floor of what used to be the centre’s department store.

It had been hoped the two stores would move on the same day, but it is understood that TK Maxx’s new unit still requires some further work – and it will be moving later.

Once both stores have moved, contractors will be able to concentrate on creating the cinema in the floors above TKMaxx and Boots and the family restaurants that will be on two floors at the Arras Square end of the centre.

A new gym is due to be created in the area that was previously the centre’s food court.

It is understood that the new owners of the centre, a consortium of Capital & Regional and the Drum Property Group, have been successful in finding tenants for most of the restaurant units they are creating – alongside the Empire Cinema that will be at the heart of the new centre.