Sainsbury’s shrugged off the snow and ice yesterday to add more retail space in a single day than any other day this year.

While much of the nation struggled to come to terms with the harsh weather, the supermarket opened more than 225,000 sq ft of retail space on what it dubbed ‘Super Wednesday’.

New stores were opened in Stanway in Essex, Neston on the Wirral and Hawick in Scotland. Extensions were completed at four additional stores.

Nine-hundred and fifty permanent jobs have been created as result of the developments.

The openings come as part of a drive to open half a million sq ft of shop space in the run-up to Christmas. This year the supermarket will have added 2.5 million sq ft to its estate in total.

 “By opening during the busiest trading period of the year, our new stores will get off to a flying start,” said Sainsbury's property director Neil Sachdev.

“We are providing a much needed lift to communities all over the country by providing new jobs and excellent career opportunities in one of the most exciting and fast-moving industries around.”

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