The store, which is over 100,000 sq ft, is the largest in its estate and has a number of new features, many of which are a first for Sainsbury’s, as well as ‘world-leading’ environmental technology.
The extension to Crayford, which means the store is now two and a half times bigger than its original size, is just one part of a busy period of store openings for Sainsbury’s. The retailer also opens its largest ever store in Scotland at Darnley (90,000 sq ft), and last week the retailer opened its largest ever store in Wales at Newport (76,000 sq ft).
Mike Coupe, Sainsbury’s group commercial director, said: “This is a very exciting time for Sainsbury’s and we’re confident that these stores will be a massive hit with customers. Between them, they have created more than 520 new jobs which have provided a real boost for the communities they serve.
“With Crayford, we’ve worked hard to deliver an innovating, exciting store that has a number of new features, several of which are a first for Sainsbury’s. The store will showcase not only Sainsbury’s fantastic food offer but at the same time our expanding clothing, home and lifestyle ranges. My colleagues and I look forward to welcoming customers to the store.”
The Crayford store also features a number of groundbreaking environmental features, including technology that heats the store using natural energy captured through boreholes buried hundreds of metres beneath the ground.
The new ‘geo exchange’ system, exclusive to Sainsbury’s, will use an advanced ground-source heat pump, which is linked to boreholes that capture and store waste heat from the store. This is later released to provide heating and hot water.
This technology is a global first and means that, despite the store being two and a half times bigger than before, it has the same carbon footprint as the smaller store.
Source: Sainsbury’s
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