A NEW temporary supermarket has opened in Yate.

The ‘pop-up’ Tesco store was officially unveiled on Monday morning by town mayor Cllr Ian Blair.

The 10,000 square feet store, which was erected in two days in the car park of Yate Shopping Centre, will remain open until a new Tesco Extra is completed later this year.

Store manager Michael Wheatley said: "It is all ready to go and we are looking forward to a new challenge."

The existing Tesco supermarket on East Walk closed for the final time on Sunday and will be demolished iin the coming weeks. The store was erected in 1975 and has become too small and cramped to meet growing demand in Yate.

Long-serving staff members said they would remember the old supermarket fondly.

Gill Harrington, a price integrity leader who has worked at the shop for 21 years, said: "It is sad. Once the store comes down after a while people will forget all about it.

"I have been taking photographs of it but I am excited about a nice new store and it will be good for the community."

Debbie Williams, a team leader in the non-food lines who has worked at Tesco in Yate for 24 years, will be meeting and greeting customers in the temporary store for the next two weeks.

She said: "The store has everything but it is condensed into a smaller area."

She added: "I am really excited about the new store and a new challenge. There will be job opportunities and with the recession that is good news for Yate."

Cllr Blair welcomed developments and said the temporary store was a ‘significant milestone’ in the Tesco works programme.

"Seeing the temporary store go up has been quite something," he said. "It is certainly a significant milestone in the development and now we await the new store.

"It has been a long time coming but we are getting there."

The temporary store is open Monday to Saturday (8am-10pm) and Sunday (10am-4pm). The new Tesco Extra is due to open before the Christmas shopping period.