Saheliya - which provides mental health support to black and minority ethnic women - is looking to purchase its Glasgow office from Tesco, but talks have broken down
A charity has pleaded with a supermarket giant to re-enter talks over securing the future of its office space.
Saheliya - which provides mental health and wellbeing support to black, minority ethnic, asylum seeker and refugee women - has been attempting to buy its Glasgow office at St Rollox House, which is owned by Tesco.
The charity had originally be looking to secure a longer lease, but was given the opportunity to buy the premises.
However, despite initially putting the premises on the market for offers over £305,000, Tesco informed the charity that they now wanted £350,000.
Saheliya says it cannot afford this sum, and when they informed Tesco of this, communication was broken off.
A statement said: "We submitted an offer of £305,000, explaining the impossibility of ever being able to afford £350,000.
"We provided extensive architect plans, explained the importance of the building for our services for marginalised women surviving violence and for the development of our childcare services, which are an important local resource and employ ex-service users.
"After repeatedly asking for a response, we eventually received a one line email advising that Tesco will not be selling the premises to us.
"We are asking for Tesco to reconsider, either by agreeing to their original offer of £305,000 or to provide us with a lease of 75+ years so that we can continue to offer vital support to over 1,300 women a year."
Saheliya has been praised for the specialist support it offers, and scooped Charity of the Year at the Scottish Charity Awards 2016.
It is understood that the existing lease on the building runs until December 2024, and Tesco said it is not able to make a decision on the property at this time.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We recognise that Saheliya provide important services for the community and we have worked with them to lease the property at a reduced rate. We are not in a position to make any long-term decisions on St Rollox House at this time.”
