Leamington’s Morrisons confirms opening date

The opening is two weeks behind the scheduled date of March 25 - and, having been in the pipeline for two years since Warwick District Council gave its consent to a plan for the store, it is likely to be a much-anticipated event for the town. Some 350 employees have been hired to work at the site.

A spokeswoman from Morrisons, which is the UK’s fourth largest food retailer behind Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda - which all have branches in the town, said the new store “promises shoppers an innovative shopping experience” with a focus on fresh produce and traditional craft skills such as butchery, bakery and fishmongery.

She added that many of the products will be made from scratch in the store each morning.

Store manager Mike Toth said: “We have more skilled craftsmen and women on our counters than any other supermarket and pride ourselves on the knowledge and advice that these experts can offer to customers.

“Specialists on the counters in our new store have the knowledge to fillet a fish, make sausages from scratch or bake a loaf of bread.”

Mr Toth said teams from the deli, fresh produce and drinks departments have also completed training to enable them to suggest cooking tips, food combinations and matching wines to customers.

He added: “The new store is all about giving people in Leamington more choice. We’re all really excited to welcome shoppers into the store.”

The supermarket, which sits on the old Ford Foundry site on Old Warwick Road, also includes a cake shop, flower shop and cafe, while Morrisons and Trilogy - which built the store - have plans to build a petrol station and drive-thru coffee shop next to the building.

Doors on April 8 will open at 9am.