THE SCOTTISH Government is to backing independent convenience retailers with a £250,000 fund to help them develop a hot food offering.

The funding package was announced by Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy, at the annual Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) conference, and came as it was revealed more than 1,000 jobs have been lost in the sector over the past year as retailers continue to battle in an intense trading environment.

The continuing intrusion of supermarkets into local high streets has also seen the net closure of 38 stores, a new report has shown

In response, retailers have ramped up the investment in their business. In the 12 months up to March 2017 retailers in invested £81 million in their businesses, an increase of £10m on the previous year.

The findings come in the latest Scottish Local Shop Report, which was prepared the SGF.

There are 5,286 such shops in Scotland, employing 41,000 staff. This represents one shop per 1,022 people, the highest concentration anywhere in the UK.

“Independent retailers in Scotland are investing significant sums of moment in their stores, raising standards and improving the offering to customers” said Pete Cheema, SGF chief executive.

“Our sector continues to provide significant numbers of genuinely local jobs, vital services to our communities and routes to market for our manufacturers.”