A NEW supermarket has opened bringing 34 new jobs to the area.

More than 200 Bourton-on-the-Water residents welcomed the opening of their new Midcounties Co-operative Food store this week, following the construction of the £4.9 Million eco-friendly supermarket.

The new 14,517Sq ft. store on Station Road hosted a celebration event on Friday October 13 to mark the opening, where the community were able to sample products from the Best of Our Counties and Co-op own brand ranges.

Members of Bourton Parish Council officially opened the store with a ribbon cutting at 10am.

Shoppers were treated to cooking demonstrations by chef Simon Woodhouse, as well as sampling products from suppliers to the store including Chase Distillery, Cotswold Dairy, Mudwalls Veg and the British Honey Company.

The Bourton-on-the-Water supermarket will stock over 800 products made in Gloucestershire and the neighbouring counties, as part of the Co-op’s ‘Best of Our Counties’ range, whilst reducing food miles in the process.

The new store includes a fresh fish counter, a delicatessen and a butcher’s counter, supplied by local Todenham Manor Farm and The Meat Joint containing local produce and the introduction of a wine expert who will be on-hand to offer advice for that perfect pairing.

Customers also learned about the sustainability commitments of the eco-friendly store which has been designed to use as much renewable energy as possible.

Discreet solar panels have been built into the store and will produce around 33,000kwh of energy a year and the 100-space car park also features three free electric car charging points.

Andy Bartlett, store manager at The Midcounties Co-operative food store in Bourton-on-the-Water store, said: “The celebration event was a huge success and we were delighted to showcase our tasty range of food and drink, as well as introduce our sustainability initiatives to our customers.

“Now the store is open we can’t wait to support local suppliers and increase our efforts to get sustainability into the hearts of all our shoppers, and we hope they enjoy the range of local and own brand products we pride ourselves on.”