Gorgie's not good enough for new 'Murrayfield' Sainsbury's

Published on Thursday 17 January 2008 09:24

IT boasts a proud history and has provided a home to Hearts for more than 120 years.

But it seems Gorgie's newest resident is doing its best to disguise its new address.

Supermarket giant Sainsbury's has turned a blind eye to the actual geographical location of its new 35 million store.

Perhaps hoping to lure upmarket customers from the other side of the railway tracks, the Westfield Road store has been branded "Sainsbury's Murrayfield".

It was enough for former Lord Provost and Hearts diehard Eric Milligan to accuse the supermarket giant of "snobbery". The veteran councillor, who was brought up in Gorgie, said: "I think it's fair to say they'll need to brush up on their geography.

"The new shop is in Westfield, which is in Gorgie. There's a little bit of snobbery in it all. I find it a bit unnecessary and a bit tiresome.

"Gorgie people will find the whole thing rather funny – I don't think anybody is going to feel slighted.

"I don't see any reason why the store can't be called Sainsbury's Gorgie."

Mr Milligan said the store's branding had probably been a conscious marketing move.

"Murrayfield has a lot of expensive houses and they're trying to attract those sort of people to the store. The name Murrayfield has a certain cachet, but I'm rather proud of the Westfield area.

"I don't think anybody living there would say they lived in Murrayfield – unless they're trying to sell their house."

The store opened on the site of the former North British Distillery Company building last month and was heralded by Sainsbury's as part of Gorgie's regeneration.

Employing 360 staff, most of them living within a one-mile radius of the store, it sits near Westfield Road's junction with Gorgie Road. Sainsbury's, which is Britain's third largest supermarket chain, already has stores at Blackhall, Meadowbank and Cameron Toll, as well as two stores in the city centre.

Paul Miller, regional development surveyor for Sainsbury's, today insisted that the store's name was chosen to represent more than just its immediate surroundings.

"We always aim to be as sensitive as possible when naming our stores, and our new store at Westfield covers a large area," he said. "Our links with the local community go well beyond the name of any individual store.

"Sainsbury's chose Gorgie as the location to open its first Scottish store in four years because it is a successful and vibrant community.

"We are very proud of the strong links we have developed with the local community and we will continue to be a good neighbour and partner in the area."