TOP store Waitrose has announced it is opening up a supermarket in Poundbury in a move that will create up to 40 new jobs.

The store will be housed in the west side of Queen Mother Square – which is intended to form the heart of the completed development.

It will initially have around 4,000 square feet of floor space but that could increase to around 10,000, which would make it around half the size of the existing store in Dorchester’s Tudor Arcade.

The new Waitrose is expected to be open in time for Christmas next year.

Work on Queen Mother Square is currently under way and the southern and western sides are expected to be completed in the summer of 2011.

The square will boast a local producers market, also expected to be up and running by next Christmas, as well as 28 affordable flats, 35,000 square feet of office space and an underground car park with 100 spaces.

The Duchy of Cornwall’s development manager for Poundbury, Simon Conibear, said: “We have been working for some time on the heart of the project at Poundbury, which is Queen Mother Square, and this is a really exciting development.

“We think the end of 2011 is going to be a great time for Poundbury and Dorchester with the local producers market, Waitrose and other things creating a new focal point.”

Mr Conibear said the progress at Queen Mother Square was further evidence that the development at Poundbury was still going strong despite the gloomy economic conditions elsewhere.

He said: “We have not really felt the recession, we just build at a constant rate and what we want to do is just ensure a fairly modest rate of development but keep growing constantly, whatever the economic conditions.

Director of development at Waitrose Nigel Keen said: “Waitrose has a long-standing ambition to open a store in Poundbury and firmly believe Queen Mother Square offers us the perfect platform to achieve this.

“We are committed to delivering a flagship convenience store which will build on our reputation for quality and service and enhance the choice of shops already available.

“Poundbury is a much sought-after location and we are delighted to have the opportunity to play our part in ensuring it remains an attractive retail destination as well as deliver secure employment for more local people.”