FORMER Bolton Wanderers star Nat Lofthouse will open the town's new Big W store next month on the site of the club's former stadium.

The opening date for the multi-million pound development currently being built at Burnden Park has been set for August 17.

That date is just one day before Bolton Wanderers kick off the Premiership campaign against Leicester City at Filbert Street.

But now the old ground is demolished, Big W's impressive 21st Century building is set to become the new centrepiece of a regenerated Burnden Park site.

Trevor Beaton, the store's 34-year-old general manager, hopes what is set to be Woolworths flagship store will prove to be as popular among shoppers as the stadium was among football fans.

He said: "We expect 20,000 shoppers to visit the store each week, with double that coming here in the run up to Christmas.

"We do have turnover figures in mind but for us the main objective is getting people in here. We don't think it's going to affect trade in the centre -- we see ourselves as complementing the town."

Finishing touches are being made to the brick and metal structure, which sports large "W" logos and blue and orange stripes.

Space has been left alongside the 650-space car park for a restaurant and travel agent, plans for which are still being pushed through.

Mr Beaton, who has been with the company for 18 months and was sales manager for Big W in Stockton, near Durham, said: "We're planning a huge opening ceremony with Nat Lofthouse coming down and with clowns and giveaways.

"It's an important opening for us. We chose Burnden because its a site everyone knows and is very close to the centre. We're sure it'll be successful."

The one-floor warehouse was created by Orbit Developments which is hoping the building will regenerate an area plagued with vandalism.

It cost £3 million to build and will house a number of product lines ranging from electrical appliances to health and beauty along with all products found in Woolworths stores.

The Burnden Park pitch, torn up after Bolton Wanderers left for their new stadium at Middlebrook in 1997, has become the development's car park.

The site used to be occupied by a Co-op store but its closure and subsequent vandalism meant redevelopment of the area became an even greater priority following the demolition of Burnden Park.

But the old stadium was forever immortalised by Salford painter LS Lowry in his classic £1.9 million work "Going to the Match" currently on show at The Lowry in Salford Quays.