The opening of Tranent’s new Asda store has been delayed by a further month, and will now take place in August.

Asda bosses told a meeting of Tranent and Elphinstone Community Council that they were now “on course” to open the store, at the former Co-op on High Street, on August 3, but were confident the petrol station would be open at the start of next month.

Alan Jones told the group: “The store will be open in a matter of weeks.” Community councillors expressed concerns over the timescales outlined by Mr Jones, Asda’s senior property communications manager, but he reassured members the targets would be met.

“The petrol station will open first, on July 6,” he added, while confirming the timings had come from meetings with the construction team, held early last week.

The store will offer a click-and-collect online shopping service from July 6, with customers able to pick up their shopping from the petrol station, until the store is opened.

Community councillor Joan Ramsay asked how many manned checkouts there would be at the store, with rumours of two manned tills, plus self-service facilities.

She said: “We want the elderly people to be able to do their shopping, and if there are going to be [only] two checkouts then that would be a concern.” Mr Jones confirmed to the Courier that there would only be two manned checkouts, with two “belted hybrid checkouts, which can be self-serve or manned, depending on demand”, as well as six self-service stations.

The store will be open 7am-11pm, Monday to Saturday, and 8am-10pm on Sundays, and will employ 64 staff, with 59 ex-Co-op workers returning to the store.