MORE than 50 jobs have been secured with the opening of a new supermarket in Bolton.

The new Morrisons store opened its doors for the first time yesterday in Bury Road, Breightmet.

It opened just three weeks after Morrisons bought the former Netto mini-market, securing 52 jobs.

Opening the store before scores of bargain hunters yesterday was its general manager Andy Taylor, with Sue Brohi from Save the Children, which is Morrisons charity of the year.

Mr Taylor said: “I was overwhelmed by the number of customers who gathered for the opening and the amount of support and positive comments we have been given.

“It’s brilliant to see our great value and our quality fresh food has been so well received.”

He added: “I’d also like to thank the team for all the hard work they have put in.

“It’s incredible to think we were only handed the store a few weeks ago, so to turn it around so quickly is a testament to the massive effort across the business.” The building has undergone a full refurbishment before its re-opening.

Save the Children’s corporate partnerships director Douglas Rouse said: “Everyone at Save the Children is thrilled to be working with Morrisons.

“That’s why we were delighted to come along and officially open this new store.

“Money raised locally through this fantastic partnership will help us give children the chances in life they deserve.”

Last May, Dansk Supermarked sold 194 UK Netto stores to Asda.

After the Office of Fair Trading expressed concerns about local business competition, Asda agreed to sell 47 of the Netto outlets that were near Asda supermarkets.

That was the case with the Bury Road Netto branch, as Asda has supermarkets in Moss Bank Way, Bolton, in Manchester Road, Burnden, and in Pilkington Road, Radcliffe.