Taranaki firm Clelands Construction has been awarded the contract to project manage the construction of the Countdown supermarket in Stratford.
Project manager Michael Braggins is "pleased to have brought it in for the local guys", saying they were up against firms from outside the region "who would have brought their tradies with them".
Clelands Construction will use Taranaki-based contractors and tradies where it can and is employing now, "so if any Stratford builders, concrete workers or carpenters are looking for work, get in touch ".
Mr Braggins said the project will look to employ about 30 local contractors, making for about 200 people working on the project.
A spokesperson for Progressive Enterprises says that with groundworks already under way, the roof is expected to be up by February.
"We set a bit of an expectation for ourselves on timing," Mr Braggins laughs but notes that Clelands Construction completed the Countdown supermarket build in Spotswood, "a couple of weeks ahead of schedule".
He adds that with the pre-cast panels going up from early December through most of January, "people will see some real development quite soon".