Tesco to open two non-food stores in October

Tesco has confirmed plans today to trial two non-food stores over the next year.

The stores, in Aberdeen and Manchester, are expected to be called Tesco Homeplus and will open in October.

The outlets will sell a range of non-food items, including toys, books, televisions and beauty products and create around 100 jobs in each city.

The stores will also stock the company's full clothing range, which includes the Florence and Fred and Cherokee labels. If the trials are successful, Tesco hopes to create more stores.

The company said today that the new shops were in response to growing customer demand for non-food outlets. Currently only 20 per cent of the UK has access to a Tesco Extra store, which sells non-food items alongside food products.