Tag: Hermiston Gait

Tesco customers can spread festive joy by gifting toys this Christmas

Tesco customers in Edinburgh have the opportunity to give new toys to local children who need it most this Christmas.

From today until the 15th of December, Tesco’s Edinburgh Hermiston Gait Superstore is holding a collection for new and unwrapped toys for the Salvation Army’s Toy Appeal, who will then distribute the toys to local children.

The Salvation Army has been fighting against social inequality and transforming lives for over 150 years and offer practical support and services to all who need them.

They hold food donation drive weekends within the Tesco Edinburgh Hermiston Gait Superstore, and as well as collecting and distributing food to those in need, they also support the local community at Christmas by donating gifts and toys to the children of families that struggle daily, especially at Christmas time.

Catherine Potter, Store Manager at Edinburgh Hermiston Gait Superstore, said: “We are absolutely delighted for this opportunity to support the Salvation Army with toy donations for the children in the local area.

“This is a great opportunity for anyone who is struggling and may need some extra assistance this festive season.”

Claire De Silva, Head of Communities at Tesco, said: “Our stores are committed to supporting local children and their communities year-round, and thanks to the generosity of our customers and colleagues, the annual toy donation campaign is a wonderful way to make a difference at Christmas.

“It’s great to see Tesco Edinburgh Hermiston Gait Superstore partnering with the Salvation Army’s Toy Appeal this year to ensure that every child experiences the magic of Christmas.”

Over 800 large Tesco stores across the UK will have a dedicated toy donation point where customers can donate new, unwrapped toys purchased in store.

Last Christmas Tesco customers donated a total of 125,000 toys, with the retailer looking to beat that number this year.

Fatal road crash at Hermiston Gait: Police appeal

Road Policing Officers in Edinburgh are appealing for information following a fatal road crash on the M8 yesterday (Monday, 18 December, 2023).

Around 9.10am, we received a report of a collision involving a MAN HGV and a Kia Sorento on the westbound M8, near to junction one, Hermiston Gait.

Emergency services attended and a 41-year-old woman, the driver of the Kia Sorento, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The road was closed until around 6.35pm, to allow an investigation to be carried out.

Road Policing Sergeant Jill Kirkpatrick said: “Our thoughts are with the family of the woman who died.

“Enquiries into the circumstances of this collision are ongoing, and I would ask anyone who was on the motorway at the time and may have seen the crash, to please contact us.

“I would also appeal to anyone with dash-cams or recording equipment to check their footage for anything that could assist us.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0761 of 18 December, 2023.”

Two new stores: Aldi to invest over £6.7m in Lothians as part of continued expansion

Aldi, the UK’s lowest priced supermarket, is to invest more than £6.7 million in two new stores in Edinburgh and Midlothian this year, creating 42 jobs.  

The supermarket will open a new store at Hermiston Gait in Edinburgh and Thornybank Industrial Estate in Dalkeith before the end of the year. 

Aldi continues to lead the way on championing great quality Scottish produce with twenty five percent of its range now locally sourced in Scotland. The supermarket now has 96 stores throughout Scotland and is set to reach its 100th store milestone by the end of the year. This investment is part of the supermarket’s long-term target to reach 1,200 stores in the UK by 2025.  

Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer, Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “With shoppers increasingly looking to make sure they get unbeatable prices on their weekly shop without compromising on quality, our stores are becoming ever more popular.  

“This investment in Aldi stores over the course of this year will help make the UK’s lowest-priced supermarket more accessible to even more people, and bring us closer to our long-term goal of having 1,200 stores across the UK by 2025.” 

“We have been investing in Britain for more than 30 years now, but we know that there are still areas that either don’t have an Aldi at all, or that need another store to meet customer demand. 

Last summer, Aldi announced it was looking for new store locations in 19 towns and cities across Scotland – including Stonehaven, Castle Douglas, and Peebles – as part of its longer-term expansion plans. 

Aldi has recently increased its minimum hourly rates, paying a minimum hourly rate of £9.55 nationally, up from £9.40. Store colleagues will now be able to earn up to £10.57 after three years nationally and £11.32 after two years in London. The new rates of pay are also boosted by the fact Aldi is still one of the only UK supermarkets to pay for breaks taken during shifts, which means Aldi colleagues remain the best-paid in the sector. 

The supermarket, which opened new stores in Livingston and Stewarton during 2020, has also announced plans to increase the amount of food and drink it buys from British suppliers by £3.5bn a year by 2025, as it continues its rapid expansion across the UK.

Aldi is widely recognised as the biggest supporter of local suppliers and has already put plans in place to expand its Scottish range to hit 500 locally sourced product lines in the next two years. 

Aldi is also investing £500m in new and upgraded stores, distribution centres and its supply chain in 2021, which will create over 4,000 jobs as well as new opportunities for British food and drink producers.