DISCOUNT store Aldi has been given the final go-ahead to move into the former Waitrose shop in Romsey.

At a crunch meeting this week Test Valley planners approved the German-owned business' ambitious plans to create an 840 sq m shop, selling more than 650 discount products.

A company spokesman said they were "delighted to have obtained planning permission".

Work is now set to start on Monday and the new store should be open just before Christmas.

The former Waitrose supermarket, in The Hundred, will be turned into first floor offices, with two new shops and the massive discount store accessible from the car park.

Aldi, which claims to have undergone a "quality revival" in recent years, will sell everything from electrical equipment to clothes.

It is thought the combined project will create jobs for about 50 retail and office employees.