Tesco strikes down Edinburgh shop closure rumours as another Leith branch planned

Tesco has denied rumours it is planning to close a major Edinburgh store after bidding to open another branch in the area.

The supermarket chain has submitted plans to the city council for a new shop in an old Yamaha showroom on Queen Charlotte Street in Leith. The Tesco Express outlet will add to a plethora of branches in the area, including the Superstore on nearby Duke Street.

A new Tesco Express recently opened on Leith Walk, joining an existing one on the same street and another on Great Junction Street. Between 15 and 20 staff will be employed at 58-66 Great Charlotte Street outlet if the proposals are approved, bringing the building back to life 12 years after the showroom closed.

The adjoining car park would also be overhauled with five spaces used by Tesco and six by the offices upstairs.

Residents who caught wind of the plans had questioned if the retail giant was laying the groundwork to exit Duke Street. But a spokesman strongly rebutted that assertion when quizzed by the Evening News, insisting there were no plans to close the store.

The Great Junction Street store closed for refurbishment at the tail end of last year but has since re-opened. Its newest Leith Walk shop is in an iconic building once earmarked for demolition but saved after a campaign by locals to preserve it.