Tesco to start work in Wolverhampton in 2014
Tesco bosses have announced that work on its long-awaited Wolverhampton superstore is to start next year, bringing new life to the city's landmark former Royal Wolverhampton Hospital site.
The supermarket giant underlined its commitment to the £60 million Wolverhampton scheme, expected to create around 500 jobs, after it was revealed the group was axing more than 100 other proposed developments nationwide.
As a result, Tesco has wiped £804m from the value of its property holdings. The firm plans to put more emphasis on smaller convenience stores and has cut back many of its proposed Tesco Extra projects.
But Tesco spokesman Jonathan Simpson said the announcement would have no impact on the group's plans for the Black Country, where it is building new stores in West Bromwich and Stourbridge.
Work has yet to start on the former Royal Hospital site, but Mr Simpson said: "Our plan is to start on the site next year.
"We are entirely committed to the Royal Hospital site in Wolverhampton," he added.
The £60m transformation of the site has been in the pipeline for more than a decade but has been hit by a series of delays and planning wrangles, including a long battle with Sainsbury's. Both were vying to redevelop the Raglan Street site.
That battle went all the way to the Supreme Court and was only resolved when Tesco was told it could develop the Royal Hospital as a £60m store spanning 97,000 sq ft. Between them the two supermarkets are expected to provide 1,050 jobs.
Around 10 per cent of the land for the Sainsbury's store was owned by Tesco but a land transfer deal between the supermarkets cleared the way for the Sanisbury's Raglan Street project.
