Tesco to have a store in every Scottish postcode

Tesco friday extended its retail dominance over the whole of Scotland with the announcement it is to have a superstore in every one of the country’s postcode areas for the first time.

The supermarket giant made its move into the Northern and Western Isles the last "Tescofree" areas in the country with the purchase of six stores from rival Somerfield yesterday.

It means that the Harrogate postcode area in Yorkshire is the last area of the UK without such a retail presence.

The purchase of the Somerfield stores ensures that Tesco will have a presence in Orkney, Shetland, Lewis and Wester Ross. Stores in Aberdeen and Paisley were also included in the deal.

There had been a campaign to keep the islands Tescofree, but opposition yesterday was muted because the firm confirmed it was buying existing stores.

Tesco said that the 470 jobs at the six stores would be safeguarded and confirmed there would be further investment in each store there would also potentially be further job opportunities. It would not reveal the price it had paid Somerfield.

Doug Wilson, Tesco’s Corporate Affairs Manager, said of the his company’s arrival in Lerwick, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Ullapool, Aberdeen and Paisley: "These new locations are something of a jewel in the crown for Tesco in Scotland."

Original source : The Herald