By Ian McConnell

FAMILY-run convenience store and delicatessen operator Margiotta is opening its second shop in East Lothian, at Gullane, after securing £430,000 of funding from HSBC.

The store opening, on June 23, will bring around 15 jobs to the area.

Owned by husband-and-wife team Franco and Audrey Margiotta and their four children, the Edinburgh-based business purchased its new premises on Hall Crescent in Gullane for £330,000 and has spent £250,000 on the fit-out. HSBC noted this total investment had seen the family business put in £150,000 in addition to the bank’s funding.

The bank added that the store opening would support East Lothian businesses, including flour supplier Mungoswells Malt & Milling, potato supplier Luffness Mains Farm, and organic fruit and vegetable grower Phantassie.

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Franco Margiotta, managing director of Margiotta, said: “As we have grown over the years, we have continued to strive to offer a personal and local offering to the communities we serve. We’re excited to get to know our customers in Gullane and to build relationships with a new network of local suppliers in this next stage of Margiotta’s journey. The support from HSBC UK has been critical in allowing us to build our modest family business and we’re thankful to them and our customers who have supported us over the years.”

Margiotta opened its first store on Marchmont Road in the early 1970s and its Gullane store will be its ninth outlet. Seven of its stores are in Edinburgh.  

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Nigel Kerr, relationship director at HSBC UK, said: “The Margiotta family has a long-standing history of serving in Edinburgh’s neighbourhoods and a genuine dedication to supporting the local community. We’re proud to have helped Margiotta expand into East Lothian and look forward to seeing its presence become a well-loved feature of Gullane’s high street.”

Margiotta’s Gullane store will also stock homeware, selling brands such as Joseph & Joseph, LSA Glassware and Le Creuset.

Margiotta was founded by current owner Franco Margiotta and his siblings after they moved to Edinburgh from Picinisco, a small village in central Italy.