Tesco opens doors at key Old Trafford store

The 80,000 sq ft Tesco Extra that paid for the redevelopment of Lancashire County Cricket Ground opened this week.

Tesco wrote a cheque for £21m to Lancashire County Cricket Club – roughly half the cost of upgrading the Old Trafford ground near to the new store. Old Trafford has since been reinstated on the schedule of grounds for next year's Ashes tour.

The redevelopment of the cricket ground is partially completed and due to be fully finished by spring next year, with increased capacity of 25,000, the largest outside London. Additional funding came from the North West Development Agency, the England & Wales Cricket Board and the club's own resources.

The new Tesco Stretford Extra store is built on stilts, with the area under the store used for parking. It will create a total of 369 jobs, more than 100 of which are part of its regeneration partnership format which provides opportunities for local unemployed people.

Doug Wilson, corporate affairs manager at Tesco, said: "We are proud to have played such a key role in bringing the Ashes back to Old Trafford. After years of work it is great to see the store now open, and we look forward to seeing the rest of the work complete over the coming months."

Michael Cairns, chairman of Lancashire County Cricket Club, said: "Without Tesco's support, in conjunction with Trafford Council and the North West Development Agency, it would have been impossible to redevelop the ground and bring the Ashes back to Lancashire. The store opening is another milestone in the project, and we hope it will prove popular with both the local community and the thousands of visitors we expect next summer."