Work has finally started on Merseyside’s new Morrisons store.
The supermarket giant revealed its plans to open four new stores over the next 12 months, including one in Kirkby, back in May.
Last year, Knowsley Council bought Kirkby town centre from St Modwen for £43.7 million, with leader Graham Morgan saying the public had 'waited too long' for the private sector to start redeveloping Kirkby.
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Pictures released by Knowsley Council in June 2020 showed the site earmarked for a new Morrisons and ready for construction after the redevelopment had been stalled for decades.
Now, work is underway at the new site where Morrisons will spend the next several months transforming the building into a “state of the art store with skilled food making at the heart of it and plenty of popular and useful services”.
The 47,100 sq ft store will feature Morrisons famous Market Street counters as well as a host of services to help customers shop for groceries both in store and from home.
James Smith, senior development manager at Morrisons, said: “We know the residents of Kirkby are eagerly anticipating the opening of this store and we’re pleased to be on site.
“It is just an empty shell at the moment so there is a lot to do but work is underway and we plan to open our doors this autumn. We look forward to meeting and serving the community later this year.”
Councillor Tony Brennan, Knowsley Council’s Regeneration and Economic Development Cabinet Member, added: “It was fantastic to see the scale of the new supermarket and the plans for the layout of the store.
“As a Kirkby resident myself, I know that this really will be a welcome addition to the town centre and I look forward to visiting the store when it opens over the coming months.”
Morrisons has now started recruiting for staff to join its team in Kirkby and interviews will kick off this summer.
Some vacancies are now live on Morrisons.com/jobs and new roles will continue to be added over the coming weeks.
The supermarket is also opening The Morrisons Recruitment Hub at Unit, 3 St Chad's Dr, Kirkby, L32 8RD shortly, where the team will be on hand to answer any questions and carry out all interviews.
The new Morrisons store is due to open later this year.
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