Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has completed on the sale of Aberlady Village Store to Edinburgh-based small Italian retail chain, Margiotta Food & Wine. The Aberlady Village Store was previously owned by Mrs Iram Amjad-Hiroz.
Margiotta, the family-run business operating eight convenience stores in Edinburgh, has acquired the Aberlady Village Store, its first site in the popular coastal village of East Lothian, located 18 miles east of Edinburgh. The store is centrally positioned along the main road running through the town. Margiotta offers a vast range of local and organic food, fresh baked goods, food-to-go, drinks, deli and an impressive wine selection.
The story of Margiotta Food & Wine started in 1957, when Pierino, Eleonora and their six children moved from a small village on the Apennine foothills in Lazio, Italy to a flat in Commercial Street in Leith, Edinburgh. The family worked very hard to try and make a decent living and were able to rent their first shop in 1963. This was a little sweet and ice cream store located at the top of St Mary’s Street, just off the Royal Mile.
From there, they opened another in the Canongate, and another on Brougham Street, Tollcross and subsequently bought their first shop on Marchmont Road. It was from then that the family really started to grow and establish the Margiotta brand, enabling them to buy up the whole corner of Marchmont Road and Spottiswoode Road. One of the sons, Franco, set out on his own in 1989 with the purchase of Warrender Park Road, and the rest followed. Even though the business has grown substantially over the years, it has remained a family-run and very personal company.
New owner, Franco Margiotta, comments, “We, at Margiotta Food & Wine, are very excited to be opening in Aberlady. This will be our first venture out of Edinburgh, and I couldn’t be happier than to be heading for East Lothian. I have always loved this part of Scotland either playing golf on its many marvelous courses or following in the steps of John Muir. Our aim has always been to make shopping a pleasant experience for our customers and we hope that, despite the current crisis, the good people of Aberlady will be in for a treat.”
Daniel Arrandale, Director of Retail at Christie & Co, comments, “Aberlady was attractive to Franco for many reasons, one of which was the strong sense of local community. With a catchment population of around 1,500 and, as the only local convenience store, it offers a pivotal service to many. The opening of this store is particularly important at this moment in time. With Franco and his team able to increase capacity and range, this front-line service can continue to assist the village during these difficult times. It has been a tremendous effort from both sides and their solicitors to pull this deal together.”