Store Manager, Tom Balay is joined by long-serving and concessions colleagues to cut the ribbon and officially open Sainsbury’s new store
Sainsbury’s new 67,000 sq ft store in Selly Oak, Birmingham, has opened its doors to customers on Wednesday. The supermarket is located in the recently regenerated Selly Oak Shopping Park and offers customers a fantastic choice of high quality food, general merchandise and fashion at fantastic value.
Great quality food, competitively priced, is firmly at the heart of the store, offering a wide range of Sainsbury’s distinctive and innovative branded and own-brand food. Alongside a wide selection of food and groceries, Selly Oak will offer a fantastic range of ready-to-eat food-to-go that is freshly made in store, including hot pizza, self-serve coffee and freshly-made baguettes. In addition to a bakery and a patisserie, fresh food counters will serve fish, meat, deli and sushi.
Selly Oak also includes some Sainsbury’s experiments, including the first eat-in Food Market. Customers can choose authentic dishes from Wok Street, Little India Kitchen and Fresh Kitchen and enjoy their meal in the attractive 180 seat food court. Fresh sushi and teppanyaki from Sushi Gourmet as well as hot pasties from the West Cornwall Pasty Company will also be available.
Alongside the extensive food offering, the supermarket has also revamped its Beauty and Wellness ranges, with premium brands such as Korres, Essie and Tisserand on offer.
In an experimental store layout, Argos and Habitat will be fully integrated into the store, not sectioned off into separate units. In addition, Argos, as well as Habitat products, will be displayed in attractive room settings, inspiring customers and making it easier for them to browse the ranges.
Sainsbury’s is also bringing its fashionable and great value Tu clothing range for the whole family to Selly Oak. Popular fashion brand Oasis is also featured in the store as part of an ongoing trial. In addition, a selection of Argos jewellery and watches will be prominently displayed in the clothing area, making it easier for customers to accessorise their outfits.
The new store has created 180 new jobs for the area, with new team members joining the 160 colleagues transferring across from the old store on Chapel Lane. To support recruitment, Sainsbury’s ran work placements in partnership with Barnado’s and the Job Centre to give candidates useful, hands-on experience of working in the store before their interview and several candidates secured permanent roles following these placements.
Supported by the Department for Work, Health and Pensions, Sainsbury’s also arranged work placements for candidates with disabilities, resulting in two local people joining the store team.
The store also offers facilities for its disabled customers. There is a Changing Places toilet with a hoist to provide extra equipment and space so people with disabilities can use the facility safely and comfortably. The store is also taking part in Sainsbury’s Sunflower Lanyard initiative, which helps to alert colleagues to customers with hidden disabilities who might need extra help.
The Selly Oak store has always played an active role in the local community and this will continue. The store has already worked in partnership with local organisations and the store’s contractors to raise money for charitable causes. This includes a £3,000 donation to the nearby Birmingham Women’s Hospital Neo Natal Unit and Acorns Hospice in addition to a donation of 500 units of food to a local food bank.
Tom Balay, Sainsbury’s Selly Oak Store Manager, said, “Our new Sainsbury’s at Selly Oak has been ten years in the making and it’s wonderful to see it come to fruition, providing our customers with a fantastic new store. Our team of colleagues – many of whom are new to Sainsbury’s – have worked really hard to get the store ready and are now excited to welcome and serve customers. Sainsbury’s distinctive food is at the heart of our store and we hope people will try out our new Food Market. It’s also exciting to be a test bed for some new formats in beauty and wellness, Argos and Habitat, as well as introducing popular brands such as Oasis. We’ve always been part of the Selly Oak community and we look forward to continuing and strengthening that relationship in to the future. ”
The development of the Selly Oak Shopping Park has brought a former industrial site to life. Situated alongside the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, the Park has over 800 parking spaces and, thanks to upgraded road links, is easily accessible via the A38.
On the opening day, Wednesday 21 November, the Selly Oak store opened at 9am. Thereafter, the store will trade from 7am to 11pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sundays.
