By Matthew Legg Business editor

Last updated at 14:51, Friday, 30 March 2012

Eight extra jobs have been created at a new £3m supermarket, which was officially opened yesterday.

Staff, from left, Julie Irving, Linda Cummings, manager Amanda Crowe, Shirley Barton and team manager Jane Strachen

The Co-operative threw open the doors of its new Dalston store yesterday morning and announced that it would now employ 28 people rather than the 20 previously planned.

Three pupils from St Michael’s Church of England Primary School – Rosa Arnold, five, Alfie Turnbull, eight , and Hannah Allen, 11 – cut the ribbon on the new 3,000 sq ft shop.

The youngsters earned the honour after winning a design competition last summer about safety on building sites.

The shop, in Townend Road, was built by Cumbrian construction firm Lattimer Group, who will lease the building to the Co-operative Group. It features an extended range of fresh produce, new in-store bakery and eco-refrigeration.

Tony Young, contracts director at the Mealsgate-based company, said: “This has been a challenging job because the store is in a sensitive conservation area and it had to fit in with the unique surroundings of Dalston.

“The parish council and English Heritage have had a big say in how it looks and we’ve used local stone and slate in the construction.

“The feedback we’ve had from people so far has been overwhelmingly positive.”

All the staff from the Co-operative’s old store in The Square, Dalston, have transferred to the new site.

Store manager Amanda Crowe said: “We’re really excited to be opening. We’ve created an extra eight jobs, so there’ll be 28 people working here in total.

“We can offer a much bigger and better range of products with much more space for people to get around.”

The building also incorporates flats which will be available for rent.

Lattimer Group is now preparing to redevelop Dalston’s old Co-operative store into housing and a shop.

First published at 14:11, Friday, 30 March 2012
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk