The Centre, Livingston, which is one of the largest shopping centres in the country, welcomed its latest arrival on Saturday, (5 July), the American pretzel company, Auntie Anne’s, which is the only one in Scotland, bringing 10 new jobs to the local area.
Fans of the famous twisted delicacy, who started queuing for over an hour before the launch, were treated to free pretzels which were handed out for the first hour, following a giant pretzel-pulling ceremony to mark the opening.
Auntie Anne’s, which is famous for its freshly baked, warm sweet and savoury pretzels, was founded by Anne Beiler and her husband Jonas in 1988 and started out at a Pennsylvania farmer’s market. It was originally established to help support Jonas’ dream of providing free family counselling services for their community, with ‘giving-back’ continuing to be a priority for the business.
It is now the world’s largest hand-rolled, soft pretzel company, with over 2,000 stores in over 25 countries, including Hong Kong and Egypt and 44 in the UK.
Pretzels available at their new branch, located next to schuh, include Original, Cinnamon, and Vanilla, with Stix and Nuggets sharing options. The savoury selection features Cheese & Jalapeño and Pepperoni flavours, along with a range of Jumbo Pretzel Dogs and the fan-favourite Mini Dogs – bite-sized pretzel-wrapped hot dogs. Drinks include fresh lemonades, slushies and coffees, and a range of Italian gelato is also available.
The Centre, Livingston, which is owned by LCP, part of M Core Property, one of the UK’s leading, privately owned commercial property development and management companies, has over 150 stores and restaurants, including M&S, Flannels and wagamama, welcoming various new retailers over the past year.
These include Scotland’s first Cinnabon branch, Las Iguanas, Rituals, Sostrene Grene and a 90-seater Starbucks in February.
Max Burton, Managing Director of Auntie Anne’s UK & Ireland, said: “The opening of our new branch at The Centre, Livingston marks Auntie Anne’s exciting return to Scotland.
“This is part of a wider UK expansion strategy driven by strong performance and growing franchise interest, with Livingston being the perfect place to start.”
Gary Anderson, Operations Manager at The Centre, Livingston, said: “We are delighted to welcome Auntie Anne’s to The Centre, Livingston and the creation of 10 new jobs to the local area.
“The grand opening was a huge success, with visitors travelling far and wide to experience their world famous handcrafted and freshly baked pretzels.”
The legal process was carried out LCP lawyer Robin Kennedy.
