A Lanarkshire MSP is asking for a town in his constituency to be considered for addition to a supermarket’s wish list of desired locations.
Neil Gray has written to Lidl to “press the case for Shotts” to be added to the company’s expansion plans, alongside their hopes of finding new sites in Cumbernauld and Moodiesburn.
The Airdrie & Shotts representative says residents need an increased range of local shopping options and that the addition of the discount retailer would be a “welcome boost to the town”.
Mr Gray was prompted to write to the supermarket following the publication of its annual wish list of desired sites for potential future stores, which could even see them offer a “finder’s fee” to anyone suggesting suitable and previously-unknown sites.
He wrote to head of property Gordon Rafferty: “Having just read an article from the Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser regarding Lidl’s search for shop locations, I would once again like to press the case for Shotts.
“Apart from the town being perfectly located just off the M8 and a few miles from your Eurocentral warehouse, the retail potential could be huge.
“Residents of Shotts have very limited options for doing grocery shopping – they either use the one supermarket in Shotts, one of the smaller convenience stores or have to travel to Newmains, Airdrie or Livingston.
“For those with limited access to transport, the last option is out of the question so they inevitably end up paying more than they might if there was a store like Lidl in the vicinity.
“I would urge Lidl to look again at Shotts and to enter discussions, if you haven’t already done so, with North Lanarkshire Council to see what sites are available for development – I am happy to meet with Lidl representatives to discuss this and any other issues around the Airdrie & Shotts area.”
Mr Gray told Lanarkshire Live that “the benefits of having such a facility would be huge” and said: “Ever since I was first elected as MP for Airdrie & Shotts, I have been in discussions with both Lidl and Aldi regarding getting stores in Shotts.
“The community there really needs to have options for shopping locally as residents are really limited to where they can buy their groceries.”
He added of the “economic and environmental case” for the town: “Shotts is ideally located just off the M8 and a few miles along from the Eurocentral warehouse, so food miles will be almost a low as you can get.”
The supermarket currently has six branches in North Lanarkshire and has another under construction in Airdrie, which is due to open later this year at the Carlisle Road site beside the town’s football stadium.
Responding to Mr Gray’s letter, a spokesperson for Lidl said: “We are constantly reviewing potential areas for new stores across Scotland.
“Although Shotts isn’t currently on our site requirements list, we regularly review our site requirements so that we can best serve our local communities as they grow.”