Scotland's First Ever Supermarket Reopens After £550,000 Refit
Scotmid, the largest independent co-operative in Scotland, reopened the doors to its Leven Street store after a £550,000 transformation.
Councillor Lesley Hinds was on hand to cut the ribbon and welcome the first customers to the newly refurbished store.
Leven Street was Scotland’s first ever supermarket, opening 50 years ago in 1959 as St Cuthbert’s Co-operative Association, which over 20 years later became one of the founding Society’s of Scotmid.
The modernisation of the Leven Street store is part of a large scale refurbishment programme being carried out by the Scotmid Co-operative Society to modernise all its stores across Scotland.
The refurbished store incorporates a new hot food section, the amount of space for fresh food has been increased, and there is a new chilled area for beers and wines. The size and location of the in-store bakery has also improved allowing it to offer a greater range of bread, cakes and pastries.
Cllr Lesley Hinds, former Lord Provost, said: "I am delighted to be officially opening the refurbished Scotmid store in Leven Street in Fountainbridge. This investment will be welcomed by the community of Fountainbridge.
"It is particularly relevant in this the 150th anniversary year of the first St Cuthbert's Co-operative store which opened in the Fountainbridge area. As Chair of Fairtade Edinburgh, I have been impressed with the leading role which Scotmid have taken in working with the Fairtade movement."
Craig Thacker, Store Manager, said: “Scotmid prides itself on being a vital part of the local community and we work with other traders in the area to ensure an excellent shopping experience for both locals and visitors alike. We look forward to serving our Leven Street customers from our remodelled store with an excellent product range and some great deals.” Scotmid takes its responsibility to the community very seriously and will continue to operate its ‘Think 25’ policy in the Leven Street store. This means that anyone who does not clearly look over 25 years old will be asked for identification when buying age restricted products such as alcohol and tobacco.