Tesco has announced it will open a new supermarket in the heart of a Buckinghamshire village, replacing a rival retailer that left the area in January.

A new Tesco Express store will open at the Bishops House building on Market Place in Chalfont St Peter early next year, a spokesperson for the multinational brand has confirmed.

Competitor UK supermarket Co-op closed its branch at Bishops House in January in a “difficult decision” ahead of the unit’s lease expiring in March, less than a decade after it replaced Budgens in 2016. 

Building works will reportedly begin at the site in the next few months before it is handed over to Tesco later this year ahead of an opening date in January 2025.

A planning application to install a new double metal door and demolish a wall, among other minor changes, was submitted to Buckinghamshire Council for consideration on July 4.

Jessica McCulloch, community engagement manager at Tesco, said: “We’re excited to announce this new store in Chalfont St Peter and look forward to sharing more information about the store near its opening this winter.”

Other retailers in the village include the M&S Foodhall, Morrisons Daily, Birring Greengrocers and the Chalfont Stores corner shop.