Tesco comes in for a lot of stick these days, and there is perhaps food for thought in the arguments of those who say the ubiquitous superstore is an unstoppable force which damages local traders with its wide range of goods at knock-down prices.

On the other hand, however, it is vital for Bradford to make itself an attractive location for big-name stores if the ongoing regeneration of the district as a whole and the city centre in particular is going to succeed.

There is a balance to be sought, of course, between encouraging the High Street and retail park giants to come to Bradford - with the positive knock-on effect that they bring in terms of attracting further business - and ensuring that smaller and home-grown shops and businesses also prosper.

A lot of that depends on the giants being good neighbours and playing an active role as a member of the retail community rather than just grabbing more than their share of the local spending power.

That Tesco is committing to Bradford by announcing a massive investment into a new, more user-friendly store to replace what it calls its "outdated" building on Canal Road is, in broad terms, encouraging.

That it also seems to be accommodating the proposed Canal sector redevelopment as part of its plans is hopefully a sign that Tesco wants to be part of the regeneration of Bradford rather than simply profiting from it.