THERE were only seven applications to build new supermarkets in Scotland last year according to construction analyst Barbour ABI.
All of them were in the central belt and none of them were from any of the big four operators.
Instead, four of the applications were from Lidl and three were from Aldi.
And the discounters dominated applications throughout the UK in 2017 with 128 applications between them compared to only 20 from the big four.
Against 68 applications from Lidl and 60 from Aldi, Tesco lodged eight applications, there were seven applications from Sainsbury, four from Morrisons and only one from Asda.
Barbour points out that across the UK, the applications submitted are predominantly for smaller convenience stores, tapping into the growing consumer habit of more frequent trips to local, convenient stores.
Barbour AB lead economist Michael Dall said: “The planning applications from Aldi, Lidl and the big four show that the majority of the few plans for larger stores came with extra units for other retailers, cafes, petrol stations and leisure opportunities.”
He added: “The discount retailers continue to dominate the supermarket space race even if they’re not as active as 2015, which saw them commit to rapid expansion.”
