The regeneration scheme includes a 40,000sq ft (3,716sq m) Sainsbury’s foodstore, enhancing the shopping offer for people living and working in Leek and complementing existing retailers within the town centre.

The new store will encourage local people to remain in the town for their weekly or monthly food shopping, whilst also attracting customers from outside of Leek. This will benefit the town as a whole, with increased trade and the encouragement of linked trips to the town centre via a newly introduced bus shuttle service.

The new foodstore will create up to 350 full and part-time jobs and Sainsbury’s policy is to recruit the majority of colleagues from the local community.

We were the first supermarket retailer to sign the Government's Skills Pledge, committing us to offer all our colleagues the opportunity to gain a nationally recognised qualification. In addition to a very comprehensive training offer, we have developed programmes to support our specific business needs and enable our colleagues to develop to their full potential.