This retail store now occupied by Tesco was originally commissioned with SIMPSON by the Oxford, Gloucester and Swindon Cooperative Society to be their first totally new store outside a major town. The Practice was instructed to design the civils and structure with the intent to create an impressive entrance. The design faced several challenges including a significantly sloping site taking access off a very busy road junction and a restricted ridge height defined by planning. We worked with the Highways Authority to agree the entrance detail off a new roundabout and then designed cut and fill to locate the level of the new building such that no excavated material was removed from site – a major benefit to the local road network. A steel frame was chosen for the building because a low roof pitch could be achieved thereby minimising the ridge height whilst still providing a totally clear internal retail space.