The branch of Margiotta’s on the corner of 71 Northumberland Street and Howe Street will close for the last time this weekend.
The independent convenience store has been there for over 20 years, but falling sales, particularly since the arrival of the Sainsbury’s Local over the road in 2012, made this decision inevitable.
There will be no job losses, a spokesperson told us this afternoon, as all staff will be reassigned to head office or one of the remaining six branches across the capital.
The official Margiotta line is that in some ways this is more of a rationalisation than a retrenchment. The Northumberland Street branch was too small to house enough chillers for the range of products today's customers are looking for.
Not everyone, though, is convinced. ‘Looking at it realistically,’ says Jamaica Street Lane's John MacDonald, 'market forces have rolled the dice. Sainsbury's are a national brand and the local population has a high component of students and transient residents who feel comfortable with the nationwide brand and readily use that store instead.
Margiotta’s spokesperson, though, was bullish this afternoon about the future for the Edinburgh company’s 100+ staff.
‘Overall, our profits have been going up year on year,’ she insisted, and they’re confident that the Dundas Street branch is big enough and popular enough to survive the imminent arrival of a Tesco Express further up the hill.
Local shoppers always protest their affection for local independent retailers. In recent years, however, too few have consistently put their wallets where their mouths are.
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Announcement from Margiott Food and Wine here: https://www.facebook.com/MargiottaFoodAndWine/posts/895891093765936
Andy Leggatt Sad, but was always way too expensive.
Fran Armour This chain has only ever thrived in areas where locals, mainly students, pay well over the odds for basic groceries rather than travel to a bigger store. It's sad to see local businesses fail but the company should've rethought their business long ago.