New supermarket opens in North Devon with focus on community funding

A new Tesco Express has opened its doors in Bickington, creating 12 jobs and launching a new round of community grant funding for the area.

The store, located on Bickington Road, officially opened this week with a range of services including a bakery, an ATM, and an in-post locker. It will operate from 7am to 10pm, seven days a week.

Store manager Alison Shapland, who has been with the retailer for 14 years, said her team was “keen to meet everyone” and become a fixture of the local community.

“I am very excited about being the new manager of this store,” Ms Shapland said. 

“Every day is different and full of variety, and the customers play a big part in that for me.”

Beyond retail, the branch has confirmed it will participate in two of the supermarket's national outreach programmes.

The 'Stronger Starts' scheme will allow customers to use blue tokens to vote for local projects every three months. 

Grants of up to £1,500 are available for schools and community groups that finish first in the store's vote.

The store is also joining the Community Food Connection initiative. 

This scheme, run in partnership with the charity FareShare, ensures surplus food is redistributed to local charities at the end of each day.

Since 2016, the programme has provided more than 145 million meals to those in need across the UK.