A new food-focused supermarket with a team of retail stalwarts at its helm is opening in former Somerfield stores across the UK with a focus on local produce.
Haldanes Stores Ltd has been set up to acquire some of the 133 stores which The Co-operative was advised by the Office of Fair Trading to relinquish as part of its takeover of Somerfield.
The new company has initially acquired four stores - all in Scotland - but has major expansion plans to cover the length and breadth of the UK.
A key policy of Haldanes will be to source 35 per cent of its food and drink from local producers at each of the nationwide stores. In particular, stores north of the border will include an enhanced range of Scottish food.
The team at the top are Gordon Emslie, managing director, who has experience with William Low, Asda and Sainsbury’s; Chris Laud, financial director, who has held senior positions within Boots; and non-executive director Steve Back, who has previously been group financial director at Budgens before moving to Somerfield, where he became chief executive.
Haldanes - under the trading logo Refreshingly Local - is the first mid-sized supermarket chain to open for business in the UK for 27 years.
Haldanes will work with Total Produce and Nisa-Today’s as its fresh produce suppliers.
The first Haldanes store is already trading, although its Somerfield fascia has not yet been rebranded. A spokesman told freshinfo: “The stores are definitely a supermarket rather than a convenience format, and fresh produce will be at the forefront.”
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