Despite not receiving full support from the Scottish Government in the past, the management of Sainsbury's supermarkets has been granted permission to build a flagship store in the Highlands.
The new store, which is expected to cost £20 million, will be the first Sainsbury's store in the North of Scotland and will have a number of beneficial consequences for the region:
• It will create over 300 new retail and food jobs
• The Co-op is currently the market leader in the Highlands region, but the new Sainsbury's store is expected to challenge their monopoly
• The 25,000-square-foot store will offer an extensive range of products and a petrol station, allowing residents to take advantage of 'supermarket' fuel prices
• It will attract visitors from throughout the entire region, moving them away from busy shops in Forres, Inverness and Elgin and providing them with one major store
Sainsbury's has however faced opposition when attempting to get government approval for the store, with some council members protesting that it will take business away from local stores. However, the overall opinion on the planning proposals is that the hundreds of food jobs it will create are vital for the region's employment figures.
The store will be located at Balmakeith in Nairn, and is expected to be open and trading by December 2010.
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