Sainsbury’s opened the doors to its newest store this morning as it welcomed the first customers to Sainsbury’s Desborough Harborough Road, in Northamptonshire. The highly anticipated ‘Neighbourhood Hub’ format store has been under construction since last summer, following an overwhelmingly positive response from the local community during the consultation process that proceeded the store’s planning application.

MP for Kettering Philip Hollobone joined colleagues, customers and local councillors to cut the ribbon and celebrate the store’s launch. Located on Cockrel Rise in the north of Desborough, the forty colleagues that make up the new team at the 11,000 sq. ft. store will help and serve customers between 7am and 10pm Monday to Saturday and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays.

Sainsbury’s new Neighbourhood Hub will stock a delicious range of great value, high quality branded and own brand favourites for customers to choose from. It will feature Sainsbury’s latest food ranges, from fresh fruit and veg, healthy snacks and food-to-go to sweet, savoury and frozen staples. Customers will also be able to choose from a delicious selection of bread and pastries, freshly baked every day, as well as pick up Argos, Habitat and Tu Clothing products ordered online via the instore Click and Collect service.

The store will also offer customers hot drinks on the go via a Costa Coffee machine.
Sainsbury’s Neighbourhood Hubs are a food-led interpretation of the retailer’s renowned supermarket offer, whose size is between that of Sainsbury’s convenience stores and supermarkets. Their specifically curated product ranges, as well as carefully selected locations in communities throughout the UK, aim to give customers access to everything they need to complete a weekly shop locally. The vision for these stores is to be the best “in neighbourhood” one-stop offer, with great value, product choice and community at their heart.
Sainsbury’s Desborough Harborough Road is the ninth Neighbourhood Hub to arrive on the retailer’s estate and it is the first one to be constructed from scratch, as opposed to following the conversion of an existing building or store.

In line with Sainsbury’s ambition to become net zero in its own operations by 2035, the Desborough store has been designed to be as energy efficient as possible. It will be powered by 100% renewable electricity and will not rely on any natural gas to meet its heating requirements. It will also feature solar panels on the roof to help the store generate its own electricity, 100% LED lighting, rainwater harvesting equipment and a single heat pump system that keeps chilled cabinets, cold stores, and heating systems at the right temperature all year long. The store been designed to achieve a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating and its Energy Performance Certificate has been rated ‘A’.

Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s Property Director, said: “This is an exciting moment for us as we open our first purpose-built Sainsbury’s Neighbourhood Hub store, creating forty new jobs and providing customers in Desborough with a fantastic new place to do a weekly shop. I know the local community has been looking forward to this day for some time now and I feel sure they will be really pleased with what our newest Sainsbury’s store has to offer.”

Jay Lee, Sainsbury’s Desborough Road Store Manager, said: “My team and I are delighted to be welcoming our new customers today. We’ve been working hard to get everything ready for opening and we’re keen to hear what everyone thinks of the new store. Whether by providing great value, high quality products, brilliant colleague service or making a wider contribution to the local community, we’re ready to play our part in Desborough.”

Sainsbury’s recently announced that it is investing a total of £205 million in what is its biggest ever investment in colleague pay, to at least £11 per hour. This latest pay rise of £185 million is on top of the £20 million Sainsbury’s invested in October and recognises the extraordinary hard work of colleagues.

Sainsbury’s is also committed to doing everything it can to support customers with the cost of living and by March 2023 the retailer will have invested over £550 million in value – the most Sainsbury’s has ever spent on battling price inflation over a two-year period.

The new store will play an active part in the local community in Desborough. For example, through Sainsbury’s partnership with Neighbourly, it will seek out local food donation partners which will help to ensure that any surplus food will go to those who need it most.

Philip Hollobone, Member of Parliament for Kettering, said: “This £10m investment will be Sainsbury’s flagship Neighbourhood Hub store and will provide a substantial boost for the local Desborough economy by creating forty new jobs, as well as giving local people a choice of where to complete their weekly supermarket shop within the town. I welcome Sainsbury's investment into Desborough, congratulate them on the speed in which the store has been constructed and thank them for their commitment to the local community.”

Councillor David Howes, Desborough Ward Councillor, said: “The 7th of February 2023 officially represents a significant choice for Desborough and the villages residents. For a very long time people in the town of Desborough have longed for a large supermarket to be in the town and offer them a choice on where they shop. I am so pleased that we are finally seeing a fantastic store open up and I would like to thank Sainsbury’s for bringing a brilliant new facility for residents to be able to use and enjoy the convenience it has to offer. A huge thank you to those who have supported this process and made it possible.”

Helen Wood, Desborough Town Council Chair, said: “Desborough welcomes all the staff and shoppers at the new Sainsbury's store and we wish them every success. Desborough Town Council has had significant influence in ensuring there are appropriate facilities for our residents and that plans consider the environment.

“We hope to encourage customers to explore the range of shops, beauty facilities and cafes in Desborough, and look forward to seeing Sainsbury's involved alongside other local businesses, in our community’s festivals and celebrations in the coming year."