A small store with a big food-to-go offer is making waves in South Lanarkshire.
Scotmid opened its first smaller-format on-the-go concept store in Uddingston at the end of August. The 1,600sq ft store on Old Edinburgh Road has been designed to deliver a more focused and efficient range, with more than 2,000 products tailored to the local community. Scotmid said that if the new format were benchmarked against a traditional Scotmid store of the same size, the new store would contain 20% more range.
Food to go lies at the heart of the new offer, which boasts an enhanced The Kitchen proposition, as well as a Chopstix Noodle Bar and Costa Coffee, plus a beer cave.
Head of Food To Go Danny Scobie attended the launch and was delighted by the store’s popularity.
“Wow! Based on the number of customers we served during peak breakfast and lunch today, this is going to be very successful!” said a jubilant Scobie, adding that customers were ‘buzzing’ for the Chopstix offer.”
The store changes its offer for different times of day, serving a selection of cooked breakfast items, including sausage, bacon and hash browns during breakfast. Chopstix Asian-style fast food, such as noodles, spring rolls, sweet and sour chicken and salt ’n’ pepper chicken, becomes available from noon until 9pm daily.
“It was a huge effort to get to this point, so a huge well done and thank you to everyone involved, from our space and format team to our contractors,” said Scobie, giving a special shout-out to Provan Contracts, who “smashed it out of the park”.
He also thanked audiovisual and digital specialist Trison and foodservice supplier Instock, as well as Costa.
The opening was marked by longest-serving team member Christine Steven cutting the ribbon. Christine has worked in Uddingston for more than 33 years, reflecting the retailer’s long-standing connection to the local area.
Residents who attended the launch were treated to a performance from Aitkenhead Primary School choir. They also enjoyed a free Costa coffee and treats from South Lanarkshire’s Equi’s ice cream. The first 50 customers were also gifted goodie bags.
Representatives from Viewpark Church, whose food bank plays a vital role in supporting local people, also attended the opening. Both Viewpark Church and Aitkenhead Primary School received a donation from Scotmid, reinforcing its commitment to supporting local causes.
Brian Boyle, Chief Operating Officer – Retail at Scotmid, said: “This new concept store reflects how our customers are choosing to shop today, with a greater focus on convenience, food to go and a demand for a more targeted range.
“We’ve designed the format to make the best use of space, while ensuring we continue to offer the products our customers rely on, alongside a strong mix of local suppliers.
“This store is an important step in how we continue to evolve our estate to meet changing customer needs, while staying rooted in the communities we serve.”
