SAINSBURY’S chief executive, Justin King, last night urged supermarket rival Tesco to “step aside” and help kick-start a major regeneration scheme.

Project Jennifer is the working title for the planned £150m redevelopment of the Great Homer Street area of Everton, which is deemed vital to the future of the north of the city.

Mr King was in Liverpool yesterday to rubber-stamp Sainsbury’s commitment to the scheme.

The supermarket giant is set to build an 110,000 sq ft store, creating 500 new jobs.

Competitor Tesco was originally in talks with developer St Modwen, but lost a legal battle when the planning inspectorate ruled in favour of Sainsbury’s and Liverpool Council.

Tesco has asked for a judicial review, with a verdict not likely until the summer, but Mr King yesterday called on the firm to give up the fight and help building work commence.

Asked whether Sainsbury’s could go ahead with their plans before any high court decision, he said: “The issue is a legal rather than a practical question.

“There are land ownership issues on the site which still need to be resolved and some of those cannot be resolved until the legal action has run its course.

“While the legal action has a way to go, it could stop tomorrow if Tesco chose to step aside.

“Clearly, if it was given permission to go ahead with its own plans on this project, then it would rip the heart out of the regeneration.

“So I think they will have to look at themselves hard in the mirror and decide whether they want to step aside now and let a fantastic regeneration go ahead, or to fight to develop a store, one which will make the economics of this project very difficult for everyone involved.

“We have reached a point where this project has the support and funds from us as a retailer and St Modwen as the developer to really make this happen.

“There has been a lot of discussion over the last couple of years over whether this project can really happen, so this is a momentous occasion.

“This is going to be one of our biggest stores in the country and by far our biggest store in the North- West.

“It will create employment, around 500 new jobs, and 90%of those new jobs will be recruited within a mile of the new shop. But it will also be the focus of the whole regeneration.”