Jobs bonanza at new supermarket
8:59am Thursday 2nd September 2010 in Your Town
A NEW supermarket will open its doors later this month — creating 200 new jobs.
The expanded Tesco Extra in Bolton Road, Walkden will open at the end of September on the site of the existing store.
Kevin Watters, the non-food trading manager for the new Walkden Tesco, said: “The store has created more than 200 new jobs with 70 of those recruited through a partnership agreement with Salford City Council.
“The agreement creates jobs for people who have been unemployed for a year or more.”
Around 200 existing employees have also kept their jobs at the new £25 million store.
The 116,000 sq foot supermarket at the Ellesmere Shopping Centre will boast new features such as a nail bar and a new health and beauty department.
Salford City Council hosted a special graduation event yesterday to celebrate 61 formerly long-term unemployed local people successfully finding employment.
The new members of staff received certificates from Tesco Walkden store manager David Wilmott.
Leader of Salford City Council Cllr John Merry said: “The response we had to this scheme was phenomenal.
“Its success is due in large part to the hard work and enthusiasm of the graduates themselves.
“It cannot be under-estimated how important local employment partnerships are in helping regenerate communities.”
A new Tesco is also set to open in Farnworth next year.
The store, on the site of the former Farnworth Neighbourhood Shopping Centre in Longcauseway, will also bring new jobs to the area.
Tesco will hand over £325,000 to Bolton Council, which is to be reinvested in a plan to rebuild Farnworth Market.
The new market will include 19 permanent shuttered units, 22 temporary stalls and another 12 stalls in Brackley Street, while the existing market will be demolished and replaced with a 43-space car park.
The scheme is expected to be given the go-ahead by the council’s planning committee later this year.
