Sainsbury’s store kicks off Tottenham Hotspur stadium scheme

Sainsbury’s has opened a new 78,000 square foot store as part of the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium development – employing 280 colleagues from the local area and giving this dynamic and exciting community great new opportunities to Live Well For Less.

The new Sainsbury’s team in store were joined for the opening by David Lammy MP and Tottenham Hotspur Chairman, Daniel Levy.

Club Ambassador Ledley King – also an ambassador for the Mayor of London’s regeneration plans in the area – met with new customers and colleagues during the opening. Ledley was then set a shopping challenge to pick items from a list and be one of the first customers through the till. Ledley also gave away four pairs of tickets for Thursday’s Europa League match, in a prize draw for colleagues.

The store was given the green light in February last year, enabling the stadium development project to move into the building phase after unanimous consent from the Haringey council.

Sainsbury’s has worked with Tottenham Hotspur, Haringey Council and local partners such as Job Centre Plus to help local people kick start their careers, working in many cases with people who have previously faced tough barriers to employment.

Store manager Peter White, said: “Tottenham has always been known for great trading, whether it’s in groceries or footballers, and as Sainsbury’s has been trading here for over quarter of a century, we've got a real connection to the area.

“We’re really pleased to be part of the regeneration of this vibrant part of London and create 280 jobs through our new store in the stadium project. As a responsible employer, we always work with local partners to ensure that jobs go to local people, and that we support people into work who may have previously faced barriers.”

Daniel Levy, Chairman, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, said: "We are delighted to see Sainsbury's open their new Tottenham store today. This store is one of the largest supermarkets of its kind in London, and represents the completion of the first part of our new stadium scheme and the start of the regeneration of north Tottenham.

"It has already delivered hundreds of new jobs for local people as a result of the great partnership work undertaken with the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, ensuring that the new supermarket not only helps to bring greater vibrancy and attract new trade to the area, but delivers real employment and socio-economic benefits to our community."

As well as creating jobs Sainsbury’s is also giving opportunities for people to train and develop with their growing – that could be training to be a manager, starting an apprenticeship or getting a City and Guilds certificate at one of Sainsbury’s Food Colleges.

The new Sainsbury’s team also get a discount card, which can save hundreds of pounds on shopping each year.

Ledley King said: “It was great to be involved in the launch of the fantastic new store which has created new jobs for local people in an area of high unemployment. It marks the first step in our regeneration plans for the area, and I am proud to be a part of it having been associated with the Club and the local community since I was a teenager.”