A Scottish city centre store, which says it is bringing together some of the nation’s “best independent food producers under the one roof for the first time”, has opened yesterday.

And the entrepreneur behind the venture revealed plans to open similar outlets across Scotland, if the new venture proves a success.

Foodies, which is providing retail space for more than 60 independent producers of high quality, specialist, and artisan foods at its first outlet, opened its doors in Glasgow’s Buchanan Galleries yesterday.

The business is the brainchild of Lynzi Leroy, chief executive of the not-for-profit Scottish Design Exchange (SDX).

SDX features the work of hundreds of artists and designers at three stores in Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as through its online store.

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Traders at the new Foodies venture include producers of coffee and specialist teas, honey, jams and chutneys, relishes and pickles, sauces, marinades, and glazes. The store will also sell biscuits, chocolate, oatcakes, soft drinks, herbs, spices, and seasonings.

Ms Leroy revealed that, if the Buchanan Galleries outlet is successful, there are plans to open more Foodies stores across Scotland.

Foodies will operate the same business model as SDX, providing a high street presence for small independent food producers who will pay a fixed monthly fee to rent space in the store, and keep 100% of their sales.

Ms Leroy said the launch of the new business is in response to "overwhelming demand from SDX traders and customers for a dedicated food store".

She anticipates the new store will be "popular with tourists, as well as customers from Glasgow and further afield".

Ms Leroy said: “Scotland has some of the world’s finest food producers but, unless you are a big company with deep pockets, it can be hard to get your products in front of customers.

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“Thousands of smaller, independent producers struggle to reach their target market, and the idea behind Foodies was born out of a desire to help them."

Foodies’ traders include Hoods Honey, an East Lothian-based company with more than 200 beehives and 13 million bees across Lothian and the Borders, some of which date back to the 1930s.

Beeswax from these hives is used to make the seal affixed to every piece of legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament since it was opened in 1999, SDX said.

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Stuart Hood, whose father launched Hoods Honey in the 1950s, declared its fortunes have been transformed since it started selling through SDX.

He said: “We are really excited about Foodies, which we anticipate will do for the Scottish artisan food industry what SDX has done for artists and craftspeople.

“SDX gives businesses like ours a level of exposure we could never hope to achieve on our own, because of the prohibitive costs associated with having a high street presence.

“As well as selling to home-based customers, we are also exposed to thousands of tourist customers every year, giving us an international profile.”

Mr Hood added: “Scotland has an amazing food industry, full of talented, local producers handling some of the world’s finest raw ingredients, and Foodies will help to showcase those skills and products in a way that’s never been done before.”

Other traders include Kirkintilloch-based Schoolyard, which manufactures a range of chilli-infused jellies, jams, sauces, and chocolate pretzels, and Scottish sea salt producer Blackthorn, located in Ayr, which produces organic sea salt flakes in a natural and sustainable way.