Supermarket chain Sainsburys has revealed ambitious plans to build a new superstore in Perth, Scotland .
The UK’s third-largest food retailer is looking to build a 70,000 sq ft store on the former United Auctions livestock market site on the western edge of Perth, which would create over 500 new jobs and challenge the dominance of other retail chains in the area.
The company said it would submit an application for planning permission to Perth and Kinross Council before later this year following a public consultation, which is due to get under way this month.
Commenting on the new store plans, Sainsbury’s development manager Paul Miller said: “It has been a long-held ambition to open a store in established and continually growing Perth.”
We were pleased to recently open a store in Kinross, and hope to enhance our offer with a Sainsbury’s in Perth”.
He added: “The proposed store at Perth represents a significant value of investment and we are confident the opening of a new store will complement the adjacent residential and leisure development plans.”
“This will deliver significant benefits to the local economy by offering in excess of 500 jobs for local people and working with Scottish suppliers.”
The SNP’s Rosanna Cunningham welcomed the fact that the new store would create such a large number of employment opportunities, but added that she will follow the progress of the application “carefully”, particularly with regards to the issue of increased traffic in the area.