Tesco opens temporary store in Carlisle after Storm Desmond havoc

Tesco has opened a temporary store to replace its supermarket in Carlisle that was hit by Storm Desmond. The construction of the 10,000 sq ft shop was completed by about 100 people in just seven days and was opened on 17 December. It will not sell clothing but only basic food products, and will be open all days of the week.

Over the first weekend of December, Storm Desmond filled Tesco's Carlisle superstore with waist-high water and also affected businesses across the region. Apart from the store, more than 30 of Tesco's staff have been personally affected as their homes were destroyed by the floods, the retailer said. While, Tesco's Carlisle store is expected to be refurbished and reopened in late January, their entire staff have retained their jobs.

After a series of scandals, Tesco has been trying hard to regain its brand image. The company said it had donated food, sanitary products, emergency supplies and other items to shelters, refuge centres and churches in Cumbria.

Matt Davies, Tesco's UK boss, said: "We wanted to make sure that people in Carlisle were not left without the service our store provides in the run-up to Christmas and have worked extremely hard to get the temporary store up and running. As well as everyday essentials, the new store will stock a great range of festive favourites to ensure customers don't miss out this Christmas."

Other businesses affected by Storm Desmond include McVitie's biscuit factory in Carlisle, James Cropper's paper factory in Burneside, Cumbria, and Stagecoach's bus operations; Walker Greenbank, the furnishing group, has warned of potential shortages at its fabric printing site in Lancaster.