Tesco has been inundated with job applications ahead of the opening of a revolutionary new-look store.

The supermarket chain is to open its first multistorey high street store next Monday in Hanover Street, Liverpool. The 29,000 sq ft Tesco Superstore — Tesco’s first launch of the format in a high street location — is part of the second phase of the huge Liverpool One development.

The first part of the £1 billion complex, developed by Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster’s property group, opened in June last year, boasting the biggest John Lewis store outside Central London and the UK’s largest branch of Debenhams. Tesco is understood to have received more than 1,000 applications for the 200 jobs at the store, for which some 800 people were interviewed.

There were so many more applicants than expected that Tesco had to hold interviews offsite in a temporary building. The recruitment was conducted through Jobcentre Plus, and Tesco insiders say that many of those seeking jobs were former employees of Zavvi and Woolworths, the crashed retailers, and Jaguar, the carmaker.

The store, built by Liverpool-based Kier Construction North West, features food and drink on its ground floor, including a deli counter, an instore bakery, a hot chicken counter and snacks.

Nonfood ranges have been located on the first floor, including clothing, DVDs and CDs, cookware, mobile phones, iPods, MP3 players and health and beauty products. A car park is situated above and alongside the store.

The new store’s manager, Peter Green, who has managed Tesco stores in the Liverpool area for ten years, said: “We have had an incredible response from local jobseekers. The recruitment process has been really successful and all managers and team leaders have now been placed.”

Tesco said that the store was not part of a plan to take its Superstore format into high streets and city centres, but a one-off arising because of the development that is housing it.

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