A TOWN centre supermarket will close at the end of next month ahead of a rebuilding programme.

The Tesco store in Yate Shopping Centre will shut on Sunday, February 27, the Gazette can reveal, with a temporary shop opening nearby the following day.

The supermarket, which was built in 1975, is being demolished this year to make way for a new Tesco Extra store which will be constructed on stilts with car parking underneath.

Tesco has confirmed that all 250 staff currently employed at the supermarket will keep their jobs.

Spokeswoman Sophie Akokhia told the Gazette: "The main store will close on Sunday, February 27 with the temporary store opening on Monday, February 28.

"I am also pleased to confirm that all jobs have been safeguarded, with the vast majority of employees working in nearby stores while the construction work is underway.

"They will then return to the new Tesco Extra when it opens before Christmas."

The new super-sized supermarket will open in time for the 2011 Christmas shopping period. It will stock homeware, electricals and clothing as well as a greater choice of groceries. The supermarket will create an additional 200 new jobs and is forecast to contribute an additional £2million to the local economy year-on-year.

Work is due to start building the temporary store, next to the public toilets on East Walk, on Monday. The main car park at Yate Shopping Centre will be closed for a week while pre-fabricated walls are delivered on 20 lorries. The shop will then be assembled in two days.

Ms Akokhia said the store would carry enough selection for customers to do their usual weekly shop.

She said: "The temporary store will be around 10,000 sq ft and will offer a wide variety of food products, of around 5,000 lines, from the Finest to Value range.

"In terms of offering a comparison, the store will be around the size of a Tesco Metro so can offer a wide enough range for people to do a weekly shop."