When H&M, Outfit, TK Maxx, M&S and Boots open their shiny doors at Yorkshire’s new major retail destination The Springs Thorpe Park Leeds, they will celebrate the magic of real shopping – the trying on and the changing room banter, the service, the fun and all the theatre that comes with buying fashion in a proper bricks-and-mortar shop.

Opening in East Leeds on Thursday, October 11, these stores will mark the occasion with goodie bags and gift cards, music and partying, bargains, discounts, offers and advice, all to appeal to those many fashion lovers who want to shop in the flesh, feel the cloth, see how it suits, and seek the opinions of friends and staff. It’s for those people who see shopping as more than just a few clicks as you sit at a screen. How and where we shop fashion has changed massively in recent years, thanks in no small part to e-commerce, and it’s set to shake up still more as social media platforms work out how to harness buying clicks. All this could mean that bricks-and-mortar shopping becomes consigned to the past, but the investment and retailer interest in The Springs Thorpe Park Leeds suggests otherwise.

Many of the stores are launching there on Thursday, October 11. Here is what to look out for:

COMING SOON TO THE SPRINGS THORPE PARK LEEDS:
Red boots, were Â£32, now Â£25.60; camel coat, Â£55; leopard skirt, Â£24. All by Dorothy Perkins at Outfit, which will open on October 11. — COMING SOON TO THE SPRINGS THORPE PARK LEEDS: Red boots, were Â£32, now Â£25.60; camel coat, Â£55; leopard skirt, Â£24. All by Dorothy Perkins at Outfit, which will open on October 11.

Outfit launches at 9.30am, with brands including Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis, Topman and Burton. Womenswear on the ground floor will be split into two zones – one a young fashion edit and the other a more classic, style-led selection. Menswear will be on the first floor and there will be a multichannel service area, with order in-store option. The first 100 customers will get a £10 gift card and there will be live DJs including DJ Angel, a free nail bar, competitions and styling sessions. On Saturday, October 13, there will be free nail bars, hair styling and promotions people on the park handing out hundreds of loaded gift cards.

Swedish retail giant H&M will open the doors to its two-storey store at 11am on Thursday, October 11. The first 200 customers in the queue will receive an exclusive goodie bag and all customers who join the queue before 11am will receive a 25 per cent discount wristband to redeem against whatever they buy there in-store that day.

The Marks & Spencer store is an M&S Foodhall but will feature a Click & Collect to buy its autumn/winter ranges, including Holly Willoughby’s hand-picked Must-Haves. It opens at 10am on the Thursday and the first 200 customers will receive a golden ticket, one of which includes a £200 gift card, while two have £100 and there are money off vouchers in others.

Boots is relocating from its existing location at Colton. As well as The Beauty Hall, there will also be an NHS Pharmacy, opticians and Hearingcare. To celebrate, Boots is giving away No7 goody bags to the first 200 customers. Boots Advantage Card holders can get four points per £1 they spend in store.

Leather trousres are Â£150; top and jacket, from a selection. All by Wallis at Outfit.

TK Maxx opens at 9am on October 11 too. The Springs will also be home to an 18,000 sq ft Next store, offering fashion and home, plus a new My Restaurant by Gino D’Acampo.

River Island fans, however, will have to wait until November 17 for its launch at The Springs. Check out www.thesprings-leeds.co.uk.

What the shops have in store as The Springs Thorpe Park Leeds gets ready for launch