The site of a disused factory has been brought back to life with the opening of a huge Sainsbury's supermarket.
The store, on the site of GE Lighting, in Rushey Mead, Leicester, replaces the chain's smaller supermarket in Belgrave Road.
Work to demolish part of the old store will begin next week.
Preparatory work to tear down the petrol station and strip out the interior of the old shop has already started, with the main work beginning on Monday.
A Sainsbury's spokeswoman said: "The petrol station will take about a month to do, but we're not sure about the store.
"We have to be careful because there are other businesses still trading at the site."
Belgrave Flyover, next to the old store, will also be demolished.
The Mercury asked Leicester City Council yesterday when that was likely to happen, how long it would take and what traffic diversions would be in place.
The authority said it could not release the information at present as details were not being finalised until next month.
The new 87,000 sq ft supermarket, on the corner of Melton Road and Troon Way, is three times the size of the old store.
It was opened yesterday morning by eight-year-old competition winner Amy Carter, a pupil at Riverside Community Primary School, Birstall.
The youngster cut the ribbon with store manager Darren Rhodes.
He said: "We had a great turnout for the opening – they were stretching right round the building, which is a pretty long distance.
"I'd say there were about 600 people there.
"This is a new store – a relocation from the other one – and it's bigger, better and has many more facets, such as a halal butcher and phone shop."
Amy was chosen to open the supermarket after designing the artwork for a new Bag for Life which was given to customers yesterday.
Her winning entry features a banana carrying carrots and oranges.
Amy's mum, Jolanta Carter, said: "She was so excited and not nervous at all.
"One of the women asked her if she had stage fright, and she said, 'no, I've been on the stage many times'. It was very funny.
"I was so proud of her – she was the smallest VIP there."
The store has employed 400 people from the area, with the possibility of another 100 once its home delivery service takes off.
The original plans to build the store came under fire from residents when work started in September.
Homeowners said the supermarket would create more noise, pollution and traffic congestion.
GE Lighting, a light bulb manufacturing plant, closed in 2007 with the loss of nearly 400 jobs after its US owner decided to cease production.
The premises were demolished in 2011.
GE, one of the world's biggest companies, took over what was then Thorn Lighting in 1991.
Bulbs had been produced at the site since 1947.
The site had its origins in the creation in 1940 of BTH, which made parts for bomber aircraft.
Sir Jules Thorn, of Thorn EMI, acquired the firm in 1967.
