New Tesco Extra Store in Yate is set to open next week
Date Posted:17/10/2011
SHOPPERS are eagerly awaiting the opening of a long-awaited new Tesco Extra store in Yate next week.
The supermarket, in Yate Shopping Centre, will open its doors at 8am on Monday after 10 years of planning and litigation.
New store manager Mark Keirle said: "We are all really excited and cannot wait for opening day.
"We hope the residents of Yate and the surrounding areas will be very happy with their new store."
The 24-hour store has been built on stilts offering car parking underneath. As well as groceries and household items, it will sell non-food such as clothing, homeware, home entertainment, electricals and toys. There will also be a phone shop, pharmacy, café, a Regis beauty salon and a Virgin Holidays shop.
Final figures show 3,700 people applied for just 230 new positions at the 110,00 square feet store.
In total, the supermarket will employ 495 people, including the new Tesco recruits and some internal Tesco transfers, as well as staff who worked at the 30-year-old Tesco supermarket which was demolished earlier this year.
Mr Keirle said: "The store is very large, so the recruitment has been a long process which started back in August.
"We have had many positions to fill, but have certainly been spoiled with the number of applications. We have nearly completed recruitment, and will look to employ just under 500 people at our new store. The standard of applications has been very high."
He said the firm, the country’s largest retailer, had worked closely with the Yate Jobcentre Plus and Remploy, which helps people with disabilities get back into work.
A temporary suprmarket in the shopping centre car park closed on Sunday and is being deconstructed this week. Tesco is operating a free bus for customers to travel to its Thornbury store all this week.
Building work on four new retail units, two of which are expected to be occupied by Marks and Spencer, will begin after Christmas.
The store will be open at 12.01am every Monday and will remain open until midnight on Saturdays. On Sundays 10am-4pm.
