Sainsbury’s gears up for northern expansion

SAINSBURY’S is preparing to submit a planning application for a 40,000 sq ft store in Morecambe.

The new supermarket will be at Christie Park, the home of Morecambe Football Club, which was sold to Sainsbury’s for an undisclosed sum last month, believed to be around £4m.

The chain said the acquisition was part of an expansion in the north of England.

Jo Try, Sainsbury’s regional development executive for the north, said: “Our research has identified the North as a key target for expansion for Sainsbury’s, as there are many areas where money is being lost from local economies when people are forced to travel away from the local area to do their weekly food shop.”

The sale of Christie Park has guaranteed Morecambe FC’s move to a new ground at Westgate. Construction on the stadium will begin in the next few months and should be finished by 2010 ahead of the 2010-11 season.

Christie Park will be handed over to Sainsbury’s in July next year.