Sainsbury's has announced the date their flagship Merseyside store is set to open.
The site on Meols Cop retail park in Southport was first earmarked for the new supermarket store in 2015. However, work was delayed for several years after legal challenges were raised against the proposals.
Work began on the site in June 2022 after being referred to the Secretary of State and a High Court ruling. The retailer has announced that the 81,000 sq ft store will open in February 2024.
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A job advertisement on their website said: "Our brand new 81,000 sq ft flagship store at Meols Cop retail park in Blowick, Southport is opening in February 2024. And we’re looking for a stand out team – from managers to store assistants to make our new store shine."
Approval of the store came with non-negotiable conditions, the main being that Sainsbury's are not permitted to close their town centre store located on St. George's Place within five years of their Meols Cop store opening.
The application was highly contentious and only approved following a five-day public inquiry, called for by former Southport MP and now councillor John Pugh in 2015. The store will have a petrol station and is just yards from an Aldi, Home Bargains and Tesco Extra.
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