Eight planned new Tesco stores in Scotland shelved

Tesco has confirmed it has cancelled plans to build eight new supermarkets in Scotland.

New stores at Aviemore, Banff, Cowdenbeath, Crieff, East Kilbride, Fort William, Glasgow and an extension to Cupar's store have been cancelled.

The projects were among 49 proposed new store developments across the UK shelved by the supermarket chain.

Tesco has said it will also close 43 unprofitable stores across the UK - many of them local convenience shops.

Dave Lewis, Tesco's chief executive officer, said: "It is with a heavy heart that I am today announcing that we are unable to proceed with eight planned new store developments across Scotland.

"Our performance as a business has fallen significantly short of where we would want it to be and my absolute imperative has to be to protect the future of our business for the 300,000 colleagues we employ in communities all over the UK."

Tesco's presence in Scotland

Superstores - 64

Extras - 31

Metro - 28

Express - 85

He added: "I know that this news will be a real disappointment to many people in both local communities and we're extremely grateful for the support we've received for our plans."

Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, said she was "disappointed" by Tesco's cancellation of the Crieff development.

Danny Alexander, Lib Dem MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, said Tesco had "long promised" a new store for Aviemore.

The supermarket giant secured permission to build a shop on the village's derelict Santa Land site last year - after almost two years of delay to the plans.

The proposals were approved in April 2012, but Tesco only met the conditions that came with the planning permission in January of last year.

These included providing the Cairngorms National Park Authority, the local planning authority, with more information on the store.

Another condition of the consent was that Tesco arranged for the safe translocation of northern damselfly from a pond on the site to another habitat.