A MAJOR supermarket chain is set to open a new branch in East Renfrewshire.

Discount retailer Aldi has identified Clarkston as a location for one of 19 new stores it hopes to build across Scotland.

It also hopes to open another branch in the Darnley or Pollok area.

The German firm, which already has 92 Scottish stores, is looking for freehold town centre or edge-of-centre sites that are suitable for development.

It says each site should be around 1.5 acres and able to accommodate a 20,000 sq ft store, with around 100 parking spaces, ideally on a prominent main road and with good visibility and access.

Ciaran Aldridge, national property director at Aldi UK, told the Barrhead News: “Aldi is growing rapidly and we are welcoming around a million new customers into our stores every year.

“But there are also hundreds of towns across the UK where there is not an Aldi, meaning there are hundreds of thousands of people who can’t easily access the high-quality, affordable food our customers love.

“We are willing to explore all opportunities, including developer-led schemes or existing retail units.”