NEARLY £300,000 could be spent on transforming a shop in the centre of Dunbar under new plans.

Shivakumar Kandaswamy currently operates both the Day-Today and Haddington Wines and Whiskies on Haddington High Street.

Now, he is looking at the possibility of converting the former Turnbull’s Home Hardware into a Premier store on Dunbar High Street.

Mr Kandaswamy told the Courier: “We will have wines, craft beers, gins, mainly Scottish gins, and then East Lothian produce because East Lothian is the larder of Scotland.

“We want to focus on putting in a lot of local produce.”

The business would also have a free-to-use cash machine and the chance to buy lottery tickets, as well as weekly promotions.

READ MORE: Dunbar: Turnbull's Home Hardware shop to close after 40 years

Already, a notice of application for a premises licence has been put in the window of the former hardware store.

The application, which is from Premier, would allow the sale of alcohol from the premises.

Meanwhile, a planning application for advertising consent to allow new signs at the premises has already been lodged with East Lothian Council.

Mr Kandaswamy was hopeful that the licence would be granted next month before the refit of the shop got under way.

He anticipated that between six and eight jobs would be created at the business.

Mr Kandaswamy pointed to the recent closure of Beer Zoo and Dunbar News on the town centre street and was hopeful that the new store would replace those businesses and “give a local service”.

Turnbull’s Home Hardware was a fixture of Dunbar High Street for 40 years before closing its doors earlier this year.

At the time, David Turnbull, who continues to operate the sister branch in North Berwick, said it was hard to say goodbye.

He said: “It is a tough decision.

“It is, ultimately, a commercial decision.

“Your hand is sort of forced.”