Tesco awards 47 construction contracts worth £300m during 2010

Tesco has awarded 47 new-build, extension or refurbishment construction contracts, worth £300m, in the first seven months of 2010.

This is equivalent to 49% of all spending on new or extended supermarkets in the UK, according to research by The Grocer.

The supermarket giant, which accounts for £1 in every £3 spent on groceries in the UK, is showing no sign of slowing down its building programme during the economic slowdown.

In the past week, four new Tesco stores have been given planning approval, in Hull, Consett in County Durham, Galston in East Ayrshire, and Ashtead in Kent. All the stores are expected to be around 50,000 sq ft.

A report in the Daily Mail says that the Competition Commission is planning to draw up rules that would prevent Tesco from opening large supermarkets in 314 communities where it holds a dominant market position.

But these proposals have not been approved by the Government.

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