A bells and whistles opening is planned for a new Somerfield supermarket, hopefully with the help of a “local hero” and a band.The new store, just off the A12 on Lowestoft Road, Hopton, will open its doors for the first time at 9am on Wednesday and will be open seven days a week from 7am to 11pm.

A bells and whistles opening is planned for a new Somerfield supermarket, hopefully with the help of a “local hero” and a band.

The new store, just off the A12 on Lowestoft Road, Hopton, will open its doors for the first time at 9am on Wednesday and will be open seven days a week from 7am to 11pm.

Regional Manager, Karl Hunt, says: “The new store will cover 2,189 sq ft of retail space and will sell a wide range of products including fresh fruit and vegetables, a variety of snacks and ready meals as well as hot food and freshly brewed coffee.

“As well as bringing a new local grocery offering to local people, the store will also generate some new job opportunities for the area. Currently we are recruiting for customer services assistants and trading managers; anyone interested in these positions should log onto the Somerfield Group website for more details.”

Meanwhile a spokesman said the community store was not in the same mould as out of town superstores and that Somerfield saw itself as a local grocer.

She said: “It's a local shop that people can drop into on their way home and pick up all the essentials. It's all good stuff. There is a lot going on with Somerfield this year and Hopton is part of that. We want to find a local hero and possibly a band for the opening. It should be really exciting.”

This week's announcement follows news that Gorleston's popular Somerfield supermarket will become a Morrisons store. At the time Somerfield said they wanted to concentrate on their smaller community stores in “easy to shop” store locations.

Their aim is to offer a genuine alternative to the big out-of-town superstores offering a wide range of fresh and convenience food.

For more information regarding employment opportunities, please visit http://www.somerfield.co.uk/contactus/index.asp

Somerfield operates over 900 stores across the UK with nine out of 10 located in town centre or neighbourhood locations.