Land for new Midland store bought by Sainsbury's

Supermarket giant Sainsbury's is opening the new store at the site off Old Walsall Road in the Hamstead area of Great Barr on the site of a former car parts factory.

Bosses have said the project will create 200 full-time and part time jobs to operate the store, plus 420 in construction. Planning permission was granted for the scheme last year.

Now supermarket bosses have successfully purchased the land for the store, paving the way for the next stages of work to continue.

A spokesperson for Sainsbury's said: "Sainsbury's is pleased to have recently concluded the purchase of land for the future store in Hamstead, which received planning approval last summer.

"We can now look forward to agreeing the detailed highway design works and finalising the conditions that relate to the planning permission. We will then be able to focus on preparing the site for development."

As well as the new two-storey 30,665 sq ft supermarket, the plans include a car park with 302 spaces, junction adjustments, a new roundabout and six industrial buildings. The new building will feature a sloping roof and glazed lobby entrance.

The new supermarket will also include a first-floor customer cafe and restaurant and customer toilets, an in-store bakery, cash machines and around 300 car parking spaces. There will also be a recycling centre and landscaping.

In addition, six employment units ranging from 2,400 to 3,400 sq ft will be built, with 37 accompanying car parking spaces. The units will be suitable for local businesses to start up or existing businesses to relocate. The site used to be occupied by car parts manufacturer GKN Driveline.

Elsewhere, Sainsbury's is currently building a long-awaited store in Wolverhampton. The retail giant waged a bitter war with Tesco to acquire the land to build its supermarket in Raglan Street.