J Sainsbury : Full steam ahead for Sainsbury's in Middleton St George as new store opens on site of former railway inn

30 June 2022

Customers in Middleton St George, County Durham can now enjoy the convenience of a brand-new Sainsbury's Local on their doorstep with the opening of the retailer's newest store. Members of the local community, including Middleton Cricket Club players and Marion Ogle from Middleton St George Community Centre, joined colleagues to cut the ribbon and celebrate the store's launch.

Sainsbury's Middleton St George Darlington Road Local occupies a converted building in the north of the village that previously housed the Platform 1 pub prior to its closure, and before that The Fighting Cocks.

Sainsbury's worked closely with developer PH Land & Development Ltd, who have helped deliver the new 2,827 sq. ft. store by carefully extending and repurposing the historic building. It will now serve and help customers between 7am and 10pm seven days a week.

From fresh fruit and veg, healthy snacks and food-to-go to sweet, savoury and frozen favourites, the new store will offer Sainsbury's great value range of high-quality food, drink and general merchandise. Customers will be able to choose from a delicious selection of freshly baked bread and pastries every day, as well as pick up Argos, Habitat and Tu Clothing products ordered online via the instore Click and Collect service. The store also features a customer car park with seventeen parking spaces.

The new store team is made up of 24 colleagues, 15 of whom are new to Sainsbury's. They will be actively involved in supporting the local community and have already teamed up with nearby food donation partner, St George and St Lawrence Foodbank. First established in 2020, the foodbank delivers food on a weekly basis to those who need it most and Sainsbury's looks forward to working closely with the charity as part of its commitment to helping everyone eat better.

Sainsbury's is also working with Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway to support a project that plans to map key points of interest along the route of the former train line, including the site of the new store, with public information displays in advance of its bicentenary in 2025.

Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury's Property Director, said: "I'm delighted that we have been able to open our first Sainsbury's Local in Middleton St George, ensuring that a historic building will continue to be maintained and put to good use for many years to come. We've worked hard to create a store that everyone will enjoy and I hope our colleagues and customers are as pleased with the result as I am."

Amanda Laverty, Sainsbury's Middleton St George Darlington Road Local Store Manager, said: "My team and I are thrilled to have opened our doors to the people of Middleton St George today and we look forward to getting to know our new customers in the coming weeks and months. Thank you to our developers, my new team and to the local community for all the support that has helped us turn this great new store into a reality."