ONE of Britain's richest men was in Nelson today to open the 100th store in his company's 100th year.

Ken Morrison, chairman of supermarket chain Morrison's, heralded the start of a new century in the firm's history as he cut a ribbon to spark a rush of eager shoppers who gathered to watch the opening ceremony.

Mr Morrison, estimated with his family to have a £900million fortune, said: "It is a pure coincidence that we've opened our 100th store in the company's centenary year. It is a reminder of the past although the important thing is to look to the future.

"I saw the store before it was filled up and it looks very good. We take a pride in our stores and we try to build something of architectural appeal and make sure they are well maintained because they are going to be around for a long time and we want to play a role in the community."

Nine-year-old Sadaf Arif, a pupil at St Philip's Primary School, Nelson, who won a poetry competition run amongst local schools by the company, helped Mr Morrison open the store together with the Mayor of Pendle, Councillor Edwina Sargeant.

Store manager Bill Clynes said: "I am proud that the Nelson store is a milestone in Morrison's long history.

"Our newly recruited staff have been gearing up for this day for some weeks and we are now eager to serve our first customers."

The 71,000 sq ft store, which employs 350 people, features an aisle devoted to ethnic foods to serve the area's large Asian population.

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