Nisa has added to its account with the recruitment of a seven-store family business based in Edinburgh.

Margiotta Food & Wine joins from Costcutter with a combined turnover of £7.5m, which is predicted to grow by £1m following the recent opening of a new store.

Franco Margiotta, founder and director, said: “We have always bought through Nisa and with that strong relationship already established, we decided to go with the company. Staff at Nisa head office have been very supportive to enable an incredibly smooth and easy transition.”

The Margiotta family, who migrated from Italy to Leith in Scotland, originally opened ice cream parlours retailing tobacco and confectionary.

The stores, which are run by around 115 staff including family members, retain an Italian influence encompassing their own label ranges, local produce and imagery.

Nisa’s retail controller for Independent & Specialist, Richard Scrimgeour, said: “We are delighted to have Franco on board, he has a fantastic estate and a great team full of passion for quality retailing.

“We have provided new range details and drawn store plan suggestions in order to create the foundations of a critical path. This includes volume tracking against rebate earnings and plans to up-weight the brand interaction with their consumers by enhancing the marketing package.”     

The Edinburgh stores are located on Ashley Terrace, Lasswade Road, Warrender Park, Dundas Street, Northumberland Street, Comiston Road and the newest addition at Polwarth Gardens.