Mercat '˜tried to stop Subway closure'


The sandwich chain shocked staff on Wednesday evening, telling them that Thursday would be their final day before closure.
The Press understands that the reason given to staff was that the lease had run out, and the owner was not prepared to renew it due to high rates.
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Hide AdToday, Mercat boss Stephen Roberts said the decision to close had also come as a shock to centre management.


He said: “We’re extremely disappointed that Subway has chosen to close its Mercat store.
“We’ve been in talks with the company for some time about staying at the centre and a number of other potential locations within Mercat had been offered for the restaurant to stay.
“This has obviously come as a surprise to our hard working colleagues from Subway at Mercat and we’ll be supporting them in any way we can.”
A total of eight staff are affected by the closure.
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Staff have been told that there may be a possibility of more roles, but only in Glenrothes, St Andrews, or Edinburgh’s Gyle Centre.
Some have noted a marked reduction in footfall since the closure of BHS nearby.
One staff member said: “We are all completely shocked. We were only informed about the closure yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon.
“We had no idea this was about to happen.
“There may be options to move, but we’ve been told nothing about hours or any other information regarding what store.”
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Hide AdOne retailer in the centre, who did not wish to be named, said: “This will have a huge impact on the shopping centre.
“This is about the only food outlet that caters for younger people and brings them into the shopping centre, and they are the lifeblood of keeping the centre going.
“It’ll have a significant impact on traders at this end of the shopping centre, and the Mercat as a whole.”
The Subway management have refused to comment.