St Andrews Aldi Store to Expand

Plans to modify the Aldi supermarket on Tom Stewart Lane in St Andrews have been announced by the corporation’s head office. The plan has been submitted to Fife Council for approval, and is set to take place in September 2026. Local councillors are currently in the process of reviewing the suggested conversions.

Aldi is one of the UK’s largest discount stores, with 110 in Scotland, composing part of 1,050 shops across the UK. Whilst not located in the St Andrews town centre, a 2021 Council Retail Study found that consumers in St Andrews and the surrounding area were more likely to travel to the larger supermarkets on the edge of town, as opposed to the Tesco Express and Sainsbury’s Local in the town centre.

The St Andrews Aldi has not undergone any major upgrades since it replaced the Kwiksave discount supermarket formerly at the site in 2008. The proposed changes include the demolition of the nearby Bassaguard Garage, which is currently located adjacent to the property on its south border. Converting the garage to be a part of Aldi will increase the storage space for the shop, freeing up more space on the shop floor. 

By extending the back of the shop, the net floorspace is set to increase by 439 square metres. The sales area is also set to increase by almost 300 square metres, creating additional room to display products. The car park will retain the same total of 69 parking spaces, with six being converted into electric vehicle charging points and four into accessible spaces.

The application to the Council stated that the exterior of the shop will be changed in order to be consistent with other Aldi shops across the UK — though it is unclear what these will include. As part of this, the customer entrance and exit to the shop will be moved, and the canopy extended. 

Concerns about disruptions caused to the nearby residential area have been raised; however, the level of noise that will be created by the construction has been assessed and meets the noise control criteria set out by the Scottish policies. The noise impact assessment concluded by stating that the construction “would not result in any unacceptable harm to residential amenity by reason of noise disturbance.”

Impact on the local community does not end there, with the enlargement of the shop necessitating ten new staff members. Aldi has a company-wide policy of hiring locally, so jobs will be retained in St Andrews and the surrounding area. 

The suggested extension will create room for more Scottish produce to be displayed on the shop floor. Currently, 30% of goods in Scottish Aldi are sourced in Scotland, including 100% of pork products, 100% lamb products, and 96% beef products. Scottish jobs and produce will therefore both be retained locally.

Photo by Ada Newton