The group charged with reviving the fortunes of Peterhead town centre hope the port’s newest supermarket can help give it a boost.
After a decade long wait, the Aldi store on South Road was officially opened yesterday with Olympic curler Anna Sloan doing the honours.
The German budget chain has created 19 jobs with its Buchan development on the former Kirkburn Mill.
Now the store has welcomed its first customers, John Pascoe from Peterhead BID hopes the town centre can capitalise on the store’s potential success.
Mr Pascoe said: “It is on the periphery of the town centre and we have been talking this week about how we would link up with the likes of Aldi.
“We have a meeting with their manager to see what they can for us and what we can do for them.
“It would be for the greater good of them as a business, us as a town centre and Peterhead in general.
“It is at the gateway to Peterhead and obviously we would like to lead people from there to the centre because there is a good offer from businesses there as well.”
Manager Keith Gammack said he was looking forward to the supermarket becoming part of the town.
He said: “We can’t wait to welcome even more local shoppers through our doors in the coming weeks and months.”
The store occupies the former Kirkburn Mill site. The development was beset by delays despite securing planning permission in 2016.
As part of the planning agreement an archaeological survey of the old mill had to be carried out and a formal demolition plan had to be submitted. Both of these issues were eventually resolved.
The flats that once occupied the site were razed to the ground in January to allow construction work to begin.