'Jobs safe' despite store sales

The sale of two Somerfield stores in Hawick and Galashiels will not impact on jobs, their new owner has said.

Somerfield is now owned by the Co-operative Group, which is in the process of rebranding most Somerfield supermarkets elsewhere in the country as Co-ops.

But the Hawick and Galashiels stores are instead being bought by Blackpool-based B&M.

It said the jobs of all 58 workers employed over the two sites were safe.

B&M has almost 200 shops across the UK and employs 5,000 staff.

It does not currently have a presence in the Scottish Borders, but does have outlets in the Lothians, Dumfries and Carlisle.

It specialises mainly in non-food retail, selling toys, electrical goods, clothing, textiles, household goods, toiletries and cosmetics and some confectionary.