A new Sainsbury's store will be opening in a Suffolk seaside town "during the first half of 2025," the supermarket giant has confirmed.

The East of England Co-Op store in Felixstowe's Hamilton Road is being transferred and leased to Sainsbury's as the retailer seeks to "expand its footprint" and deliver "quality and value in the market".

The transfer has also led to questions about the future of the town's Argos store in Hamilton Road as Sainsbury's bought Argos in 2016, resulting in Argos shops opening within Sainsbury's stores.

READ MORE: Felixstowe BID welcomes transfer of Hamilton Road Co-op

However, this newspaper understands that no announcements have been made about the future of the online and catalogue retailer, but the new Sainsbury's will be opening in the former Co-Op during the first half of next year.

Earlier this month, this newspaper reported how Felixstowe business organisation the Felixstowe Business Improvement District (BID) welcomed the news that the Co-Op was set to become a Sainsbury's.

The BID's manager Kate Cain said: "We don't have any details on the nature of the store yet, but we are excited to welcome a popular supermarket into the heart of the town centre.

READ MORE: Co-op confirms transfer of Felixstowe branch to Sainsbury's

"As I understand it, the current staff will be retained to work at the new store, which is great news for us as customers to be able to see the faces and customer service we are familiar with, as much as it is for the staff who live locally.

"The Co-Op has been a fantastic community partner and we hope to continue this connection with the new tenants."

The Felixstowe branch is one of two Co-Ops being transferred to Sainsbury's - the other at Brightlingsea in Essex.

Earlier this month, Sainsbury's chief executive Simon Roberts said: “As we progress with our Next Level Sainsbury’s plan, we remain laser-focused on delivering the best combination of value and quality in the market and customers continue to recognise this.

"We want to keep building on this momentum, which is why we are growing our footprint further with new stores that will showcase some of the best that Sainsbury’s has to offer.

"We’re excited to be bringing Sainsbury’s supermarkets to Felixstowe and Brightlingsea for the first time and we look forward to welcoming these new stores into Sainsbury’s next year.”

READ MORE: Felixstowe news