Frozen food giant Farmfoods has revealed when it expects its newest supermarket in Inverurie to open.
Aberdeenshire Council approved plans for the retailer to build a new flagship store in Inverurie town centre last year “to help families struggling in cost-of-living crisis”.
The brand, which was founded in Aberdeen in 1954, has said that the new site on Constitution Street will be one of their “most attractive”.
It is expected to open “towards the beginning of May”.
Building work is already well underway for the store, with signage now being erected at the location of the former Garioch Health Centre, which shut in 2018 and subsequently was demolished in 2021.
In 2019, plans for a £5 million Starbucks drive-thru and four other shops were unveiled.
However, these were rejected by Aberdeenshire Council in 2020 after concerns that the development would create more traffic problems in the town centre.
The supermarket chain is expected to bring between 15 and 20 jobs to the Aberdeenshire town, although not everyone agreed with it being approved including council planners.
There were 18 letters voicing their opposition to the development, with it being argued that the new building’s appearance would be “out of character” with the area, as well as leading to a loss of privacy and an increase in noise.
Five letters supported the proposals, with an argument being that it would bring more choice to shoppers in Inverurie, which already has an Aldi, Lidl, Morrisons and Tesco.
The opening of the store will see Farmfoods returning to the Garioch town for the first time in four years, after the firm’s lease on their North Street shop was terminated in 2020.
‘Attractive, accessible and appropriate’
At the time, Farmfoods property director Alistair Kay said the company intended to return to Inverurie “when the right opportunity arose”, having been there for 40 years before the store closure.
He added: “We wish to create an attractive, accessible and appropriate retail amenity right in the heart of Inverurie.
“Our proposal would enhance an already thriving town centre with our range complementing established local businesses nearby.”
Farmfoods will celebrate its 70th anniversary in July and although the original meat-processing business was founded in the Granite City, its headquarters are now based in Cumbernauld.
It currently has more than 300 stores across the UK, including four in Aberdeen and one each in Fraserburgh, Peterhead and Stonehaven.
In September, it was revealed that the chain is looking to open up a new supermarket at a disused barracks building on Aberdeen’s King Street.
