NEWS ShopTalk T
he Co-op has entered into exclusive talks to take over Nisa for £140m, after larger rival Sainsbury’s dropped out of the running. Nisa had initially snubbed the Co- op’s interest in favour of the £130m offer from Sainsbury’s, despite the former offering more money. Sainsbury’s had said that it would not make its bid conditional on Nisa clinging on to a supply contract with McColl’s convenience chain, which accounted for around 35% of its sales.
While Sainsbury’s was in exclusive talks with Nisa it emerged that the convenience wholesaler had lost the McColl’s contract to Morrisons. However, the supermarket said it was pausing takeover talks because of concerns the competition watchdog would intervene.
It is understood that the Co-op is now proposing a Nisa takeover for the same price as it had offered before – widely thought to be £140m – despite Nisa no longer having the McColl’s contract.
that the Co-op could be a better fit for a Nisa deal as its mutual status could appeal to Nisa’s 1,400 shopkeeper members who have previously opposed a loss of independence.
The Co-op could also help to improve Nisa’s fresh food offer following its trial to supply a range of branded fresh and frozen food products in 25 McColl’s shops.
Basingstoke, Stevenage, Shoreham Airport, Chelmsford, Emsworth, Slough, Muswell Hill, Welwyn Garden City and Horsham.
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udgens is expanding its retailing partnership with Shell UK to 20 more sites.
The first ‘Budgens at Shell’ site recently opened for business in Farnborough, Hampshire, with the remainder to follow by the end of this year.
The stores will sell a wide range of produce, including fruit and vegetables, dairy, deli, meat and fish as well as ready meals.
Nisa chairman Peter Hartley said that the Co-op had wanted to move “as quickly as possible” and talks had been “pragmatic and constructive”. The Co-op has just 6.1% of the UK’s grocery market compared with 16% held by Sainsbury’s, according to Kantar data.
Industry experts have remarked 6 September 2017
Steven Fox, managing director - retail at Booker Group, which owns the Budgens chain, said: “We are delighted to be expanding our partnership with Shell in convenience foods after a highly successful trial. The Budgens brand is famous for the quality and freshness of our offer which we hope will drive more footfall to Shell forecourts.” The expansion follows the success of four pilot sites testing the new concept. The new Budgens at Shell outlets will include sites in
idl has overtaken Waitrose to become the UK’s seventh largest grocer as increasingly cash-strapped shoppers turn to the discounters.
The German discount chain reached a new market share high of 5.2% as sales rose 18.9% in the 12 weeks to 13 August – making it the UK’s fastest growing grocer. Fellow discounter Aldi’s sales rose by 17.2%, giving it a 7% market share. Aldi overtook Waitrose in 2015. Although Lidl has overtaken Waitrose, the upmarket grocer’s share of sales held steady at 5.1% and it managed to increase year-on-year sales by 2.8%.
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons all increased sales for the fifth period in a row, but nevertheless lost market share as the discounters grew much faster.
The grocery market is being lifted by inflation, underpinned by the fall in the value of the pound since the Brexit vote last year.
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cColl’s has recorded a 31% lift in sales after a boost from its acquisition of 298 Co-operative shops earlier this year. The retail chain said that it had completed integrating the new stores by the middle of July, which had helped to bolster the business. Like-for-like sales, which measure shops open for more than a year, were up by 0.7% during the three months to August 27. This was largely driven by 0.7% growth at its
1,300 convenience stores and 0.3% at its 350 older newsagent shops. McColl’s recently signed a new supply deal with Morrisons in a move that will resurrect the Safeway brand and mean the convenience chain will benefit from the supermarket’s fresh food offer and bigger purchasing power with consumer giants. McColl’s previously had contracts with Nisa and Palmer & Harvey, both of which are searching for new owners.
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arks & Spencer has confirmed that a new outlet will be coming to
Bridgwater’s Gallagher Retail Park. Scheduled to open in the Spring of 2018, Marks & Spencer is planning to bring a foodhall to the retail park, establishing this in one of the currently vacant store units. A spokesperson for the retailer confirmed the new store plans, stating: “We’re looking forward to opening a new M&S Foodhall in Bridgwater and being part of the community.
“The store will offer customers the very best of M&S’s high quality food and drink, including a wide selection of innovative fresh produce and indulgent seasonal dining ideas.” This will be the second Marks & Spencer branch to open in Bridgwater, with another store present at Huntworth Business Park.
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