M&S and Premier Inn coming to town

Fife Council has finally approved a £7 million development project that will bring Marks & Spencer and Premier Inn to St Andrews. Construction is said to begin shortly on the site of the old abattoir buildings on Largo Road.

M&S will offer almost 1’000 ft² of retail space and will focus primarily on food, while Premier Inn, one of the largest hotel chains in the UK, will offer 65-bedrooms.

Rendering of the to-be-constructed M&S and Premier Inn

I am sure we are all delighted to hear this news. M&S, a high-end store, will bring variety to St Andrews’ supermarket monotony, and Premier Inn will alleviate the vast numbers looking for limited rooms in the town. St Andrews residents were certainly pleased: a spokesman from Ashleigh Ltd., the construction company heading the project, received 82.5% positive feedback during their pre-construction consultation.

St Andrews councilor Dorothea Morrison said she believes that the new development will stop people from having to trek to the Dundee M&S, as is often the case, and will in fact attract more clientele from the surrounding towns.

The St Andrews Merchants’ Association did not receive this arrival so amicably. They raised concerns over the colossal competition that a superstore like M&S will bring, fearing that the developing supermarket monopoly will end local stores all together. Bed & Breakfast owners were equally vexed, stating that Premier Inn will steal a sizeable chunk of the clientele.

I for one look forward to having an M&S, simply because their food is delicious. Second year English student Louise de Bragelonne shared my opinion: “I think it’s a good idea. I like to have choice when food shopping. M&S has certain things Tesco and Morrisons don’t, and vice versa.”

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Image courtesy of thecourier.co.uk