Chatteris is set to be focus of retail world next week when Tesco comes to town to unveil its new-format store
Next week Chatteris will become the centre of the food retailing world when Tesco unveils its new store in the town - and it is expected to be the first of the supermarket giants new-format Jack's brand.
Rumours have been rife about what the store, located off Honeysome Road, will look like since it first became public that Tesco were once again looking to open the store, which they abandoned in 2015 without ever opening.
Now it is widely reported the rumours that the store will lead Tesco's fightback against the discount supermarkets Aldi, which has a successful store in Chatteris, and Lidl which is located in neighbouring March.
The Citizen is among the press to have received an invite for a briefing at the site on Wednesday morning (19) with national newspapers saying Tesco's chief executive Dave Lewis will be in town to unveil his firm's discount chain Jack's.
It has apparently been named after Tesco founder Jack Cohen and the Chatteris site is set to be the first of the new-style brand.
It is also reported that Tesco has forced staff and suppliers working on the project to sign non-disclosure agreements and the retailer is saying little about its plans.
But this morning (Thursday) there were workmen busy marking out the car park, while the store's windows are shrouded in black polythene and the sign above the door is tightly covered in blue tarpaulin, as is another sign on the roundabout.
Traditional supermarkets have been looking to get into the fast-growing discount market, having seen Aldi and Lidl steal their shoppers.
Rumours that Tesco were finally going to open in Chatteris began earlier this summer when they applied to Fenland District Council for an alcohol licence. At that point a company spokesman told the Citizen the licence would help the supermarket giants find a new tenant to sit alongside Poundstretcher, which has occupied half the building since February.
Just two weeks later in mid-July adverts started to appear for staff for a "new format" Tesco store in Chatteris, but again the company spokesman was remaining tight-lipped about what was happening.
On Wednesday all will be revealed.
