Every little helps for MSPs as Tesco plans Holyrood store

Published on Wednesday 11 August 2010 12:21

THEY have been told to swallow higher prices or lose their plush canteen, but MSPs could be set to get a cheaper alternative - Tesco.

The supermarket giant hopes to succeed where many have failed by opening its first store on Holyrood Road, in the shadow of the Scottish Parliament.

The chain has applied to transform the former Nisa Metro Good News supermarket, at the junction of Hammerman's Entry, into a Tesco Express.

The unit was repossessed by the bank in early 2008 and it has struggled to find a replacement since.

In the meantime, the street has been blighted by further closures despite a building full of well-heeled potential clientele just yards down the road.

The Tun Bar and Kitchen closed last month amid "difficult local economic conditions", while 2009 saw the closure of Mai Thai and Beanscene, although this has since reopened as Foodies.

With the diminishing choice Tesco's main competition in the local area will be itself.

Tesco Holyrood will be the chain's eighth store in the city centre, with the impending opening of its new Picardy Place branch.