Tesco is building a unique wooden store in Slovakia

Rajec (Slovakia) - The British company Tesco Stores today began constructing a wooden store in the Slovak village of Rajec, which will be the only one in Central Europe so far. The store, with a sales area of one thousand square meters, is expected to be completed in September or October. The costs for its construction will reach approximately 60 million Slovak crowns (about 48 million CZK).
    "The store will have a fully wooden load-bearing structure, as well as wooden roof and walls. Ecological materials such as wood, sheep wool, and pressed straw will be used," said Tesco representative Dušan Vávra to reporters. He did not rule out that similar stores might open in other cities over time.
    The costs of building the wooden store will be about fifty percent higher than a conventional building with a reinforced concrete structure and metal façade. However, Tesco is said to save on operational costs. Vávra did not specify how much the savings could be.
    The wooden store reportedly will not require any special fire safety measures. The new store will provide jobs for about two thousand people. There will also be about 50 parking spaces at the store.
    Tesco entered the Slovak market in 1996 and currently operates about 60 stores there, employing approximately 8,300 people. In the past, the company unsuccessfully sought to acquire stores from the competing French chain Carrefour.