Sainsbury's plan boosts jobs hope - graduate jobs

A host of retail and management jobs for graduates may be in the offing as Sainsbury's plans to open a new 85,000 sq ft store in Birmingham.

The supermarket giant has completed a deal with developer St Modwen for construction of the store as part of the £1 billion Longbridge regeneration project.

Around 400 jobs are expected to be created at the new Sainsbury's, which will be located in the heart of the proposed town centre.

St Modwen has already submitted a planning application for the £70 million town centre development, which consists of 24 shops and restaurants.

It hopes to begin construction work this summer and if the plans go ahead on schedule, the Sainbury's could open by 2013.

Mike Murray, St Modwen's senior development surveyor, described the deal with the supermarket chain as a "massive accomplishment" given the project is still in its initial stages.

He added: "The new store is set to boost the local economy with the creation of hundreds of jobs across a range of skill sets; and as there has never been a foodstore of this size located within Longbridge, we expect the new Sainsbury's will enable the community to enjoy the convenience of being able to shop locally, rather than having to travel out of the area.

"This in itself has wide-ranging economic and environmental benefits for Longbridge."