Sainsbury’s is nearing the completion to an expansion that will see the store almost double in size.
Sainbury's, Silksworth Lane, Sunderland
The Silksworth Lane store has been undergoing a re-development, which is set to bring it up to the standards of other Sainsbury’s stores nationwide.
Store manager Gary Pearson said: “The biggest change people will see is in the sheer size of it. It’s currently 44,000 square feet, and it’s going to be 83,000 once it’s done.
“In store, the new features we are going to have are a pizza counter and a salad bar. This means that we will have everything that you could find in any Sainsbury’s in the UK, the full-range of features. Our clothing and general merchandise ranges are also being expanded, and they are to be the biggest of any Sainsbury’s store.
“We expect this to bring in new customers. The store in Washington was the last to undergo this kind of re-vamp, and their figures are now through the roof, so the proof is in the pudding.”
It seems Gary’s thoughts may be close to the truth, if the views of customers are anything to go by. The store has seemed as busy as ever, and customers have expressed their delight at the improvements.
Helen Clyde, University of Sunderland lecturer and a regular at Sainsbury’s, said: “I think the plans for the expansion look excellent. It’s about time they had a salad bar, which other Sainsbury’s such as Washington and Alnwick have, while the clothing department has needed updating for some time.
“I have always been a loyal Sainsbury’s customer and this can only be a good thing.”
The store did, however, have to wait for a planning application to be approved, something that was not a foregone conclusion given the scale of the project.
Danielle Pearson, the councillor who oversaw the application said: “One of the fundamental issues for this development related to the size of the extension proposed and the potential for the development to impact on other retail stores, local centres and the City Centre.
“However the extension will bring about improvements to the existing store and create additional jobs, to the benefit of the wider area.”
Danielle also indicated that Sainsbury’s would not be the last Sunderland supermarket to receive an expansion in the near future, as she confirmed that Asda at Leechmere has made a planning application, while there are also plans for retail stores on North Hylton Road and the site of the former Arriva Ford dealership.
The Sainsbury’s store, according to Gary Pearson, is a “huge investment” which will see a lot of new jobs created. It is expected to be complete by the end of August.
The map below shows the location of the Sainbury’s store:
To see a slideshow of photos depicting the expansion, click here.
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