Tesco has opened a new store in Llantarnam.
The store team at The Maltings, held a celebration and ribbon cutting, where they invited local resident Melanie Fry and her son, Kieron to take part.
Kieron cut the ribbon with a pair of giant, red scissors and he and his mother were officially the first customers of the store.
The store team also handed out goody bags to the next ten customers, whilst the rest were given a Tesco tote bag and pen.
‘Strong ties’
Owen Westwood, Tesco Express store manager, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to open our new Tesco Express and begin serving the Llantarnam community.
“We’re also overjoyed to welcome eight new colleagues to the store team.
“Building strong ties with Llantarnam is central to our vision, and it’s important to us that nine of our team members are local to the village.
“We are proud to be part of the Tesco Stronger Starts grant scheme, supporting local schools and helping to promote the health and wellbeing of children in the community.”
Local schools and community groups are invited to apply for community funding through Tesco Stronger Starts, the retailer’s blue token voting scheme.
Every three months, customers in-store can vote for one of three local projects, with first place awarded up to £1,500, second place up to £1,000, and third place up to £500.
Llantarnam Food Bank
As part of the store’s commitment to supporting the local community, Tesco has donated £500 to Kindness in the Community – Llantarnam Food Bank.
The new Express store will also take part in the Community Food Connection scheme, redistributing surplus food to local charities and community groups at the end of each day.
Since launching in 2016, the Tesco Community Food Connection scheme has donated over 145 million meals to charities and groups across the UK.
This scheme is delivered in partnership with the food redistribution charity FareShare. Each month, Tesco donates the equivalent of more than one million meals to people in need across the country.