Walsall's new Tesco is taking shape

Construction may only have started in April but the multi-million pound Tesco supermarket is already beginning to dominate the Walsall town centre skyline.

The imposing shell of the 10,880 sq metre store is now in place as work gathers pace on the site of the former Walsall College campus in St Paul's Street.

It is expected to open before Christmas and up to 200 jobs will be up for grabs when the recruitment drive starts around Autumn.

Work on the supermarket scheme, which includes 750 car parking spaces, a cafe and offices is even ahead of schedule - to the delight of bosses.

Tesco spokesman Tony Fletcher said: "It is all going well at the moment. We are still hopeful, subject to conditions, of opening before Christmas. The roofing is completed and we have now really got the whole shell in place. We are fitting out already as we speak, doing all the electrics and air conditioning.

"We are ahead of where we thought we might be and are very pleased. It is so far so good."

The site was vacated by Walsall College last summer after the completion of the new Wisemore campus in Littleton Street West. This was part of a land swap agreement.

The road layout in Hatherton Road is being controversially changed for the scheme with a bus lane created forcing traffic to be diverted.