Thomas Green's, the Continental UK grocery franchise operation, has opened its first store in Paris.

The shop, the company's 11th in total and its second in France, is in the 15th Arrondissement, a short distance from a former branch of M&S, which closed in 2001.It stocks a range of typically British products including Marmite and Walker's crisps.

"Since M&S left there's been a real hankering for British foods by the city's

ex-pat community, and Thomas Green's is the only store in town that sells the full range of UK products," said Thomas Green's MD Philip Evans.

The store, which will be run by joint managers Paschal Cummins and Pat Cully, was officially opened by British Consul General Jeffrey Thomas. "The availability of quality products that are household names in our own country will be appreciated not only by the ex-pat community but by French customers," he said.

Thomas Green's has also launched a delivery service covering the whole of Paris.