THE new £4 million Tesco supermarket in Little Lever is practically ready for opening.

The 29,500 square ft store has been fitted out with new shelves, aisle signs, lighting and eco-friendly timber frames.

The shop in Crossley Street will open its doors on October 30 — and manager Karen Shaul has been presented with the keys from site project manager Grahame Holden.

She said: “We’re so close to the opening now but we’ll be continuing to work hard to ensure that the store is in perfect condition for when our first customers arrive.

“We can now start stacking the shelves and ensuring that we can offer shoppers in Little Lever a fantastic selection of quality products as well as excellent service.”

The Bolton News revealed last week how the store, which is taking on full-time and part- time staff, had received an incredible1,400 applications for just 118 new jobs.

New staff are currently being trained at nearby Tesco shops in Horwich, Haslingden, Great Harwood, Rochdale and Middlewich to get them ready for the grand opening.

The new recruits will join 45 colleagues who are transferring from the existing Tesco Metro in Market Street in Little Lever, which will close when the new store opens.

Jobs at the new store will vary from team leaders to checkout operators and managers.

Mrs Shaul said: “Our aim is to provide fantastic customer service and great value for money to people living or working in Little Lever and we can’t wait for local people to see it for themselves.”

The store will open at 8am on Thursday, October 30.

The official launch celebrations will start at 10am with a £1,000 donation to a local charity and ribbon cutting ceremony.

There will also be complementary refreshments, including cake and champagne for customers.

After launch day, the store will be open from 7am to 11pm, Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.