Tesco to Create 150 New Jobs in Middlewich, Cheshire

Tesco Scraps Expansion Plan

Leading supermarket chain Tesco will not now be building a superstore in Middlewich, Cheshire by expanding its current location.

The grocery retailer has halted plans to triple the size of its Southway store which would have created a possible 150 new jobs.

After a number of revised planning applications and an appeal, the decision taken by the company ends years of doubt for local residents and shops.

The multi-million pound plan would have resulted in around £100,000 being spent in the store to improve the retail offering and accessibility.

Tesco’s decision also leaves big questions about what will happen to the development land next to the store which has been left in disorder.

The decision was made after it was revealed that Tesco had withdrawn from the sale of Cheshire East Council’s share of the current car park which was part of the development land.
Some traders feared the 35,000sq ft store would have dwarfed the high street while others
welcomed it for the prospect of economic regeneration.

It is thought that the Morrison’s development nearby, which is now nearly at completion, had an impact on Tesco’s decision. The assumption being that they did not want to close the store for redevelopment with the new threat from Morrison’s.