A £3 MILLION expansion of Dunbar’s Asda store should be completed before the end of October.

The store, which opened in 2007, will increase in size to the north of the site, with work already under way on the project.

Deen Rasul, general store manager at the supermarket, was looking forward to the larger store and felt it tied in well with the expanding town.

He said: “The store expansion is to reflect the growing community of Dunbar. Through the expansion, we hope to give the customer a bigger and more relevant offer.

“It almost becomes a one-stop shop in the heart of Dunbar while also paying heritage to Dunbar’s local community history.”

The store will expand by 25 per cent, with 5,000 square feet being added to the north of the 20,000 square feet supermarket.

Much of the extension will be made up of an increased range of George clothing, while there will also be increased space for home and seasonal items.

Mr Rasul, who has been general store manager for more than two years, told the Courier there would be changes throughout the existing store as well.

A new pizza counter will be created where people can order fresh pizzas, which can be cooked in store, as well as a chilled wine selection.

The number of staffed checkouts will reduce, with more room for self-scanning, while a new ‘heritage’ print of the town’s harbour will also be put in place at the store’s customer services department.

New signs directing people off the A1 are also planned for the surrounding area.

It is currently unclear how many jobs will be created through the expansion of the store, with job adverts being posted online.

Plans to expand the store were given the go-ahead by East Lothian Council in February last year.

At that time, the supermarket giant suggested that more than 30 jobs could be created.

Dunbar Community Council backed the proposals, which attracted no objections from members of the public.

Meanwhile, the store has also appointed Annette Newell as community colleague.

Mr Rasul said the business had “loyal customers” and added: “The community colleague is pretty much a colleague dedicated in store to supporting local charities and the local community.

“Annette’s job will be going out into the local community and seeing what they need. It is all local to Dunbar and the surrounding East Lothian area and finding out what they need support with.

“That’s probably the big thing for me, being able to give back to the community.”