UGO, the new branded discount supermarket launched by the Haldane Retail Group, flexed its muscles as it opened its first store last week in Staffordshire.
The Biddulph store was unveiled by the former Olympic athlete and World’s Strongest Man, Geoff Capes, who will be the face of UGO for subsequent store openings.
The strongman will also feature in the new chain’s advertising, with his physical presence representing “the strength of the UGO deals”.
Rather than cutting the traditional ribbon, Geoff celebrated the opening of the new store by breaking a link in a yellow chain - a colour that the Haldane Retail Group hopes will soon become associated with its UGO brand.
The Biddulph store is one of 23 locations acquired from the Co-operative Group following its takeover of Somerfield in 2009, and traded until recently under the Haldanes fascia.
However, following the recent opening of a Sainsbury’s superstore nearby, the Haldane Retail Group saw the opportunity to use the Biddulph shop as a test-bed for the roll-out of the UGO chain, which it sees as a viable alternative to the major multiples.
The emphasis of UGO will be on value for money across food, drink and non-foods, with special offers promoted through a full-colour monthly leaflet. A further 20 stores are set to open this spring under the advertising slogan ‘UGO… where the prices are low’.
These stores will all be converted from current Netto sites, acquired from ASDA last month following its purchase of the Danish discounter’s UK business.
In order to avoid a lessening of local competition, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) required ASDA to divest 47 of the 194 UK Netto stores. To date, Haldane Retail Group has acquired the largest number of these outlets.
The UGO brand seeks to build upon the distinctive and trusted yellow and black Netto fascia, with the aim of providing reassurance and a seamless transfer for customers.
The launch of UGO means that the Haldane Retail Group will operate three distinctive brands: UGO, Haldanes (under the ‘your local grocer’ tagline), and a new chain of convenience and forecourt stores under the Haldanes Xpress banner. There are no current plans to convert further Haldanes-branded stores to the UGO fascia.
Arthur Harris, Haldane Retail Group Chief Executive said: "We chose Biddulph for the first rebrand to help revitalise town centre trade, which was hit when Sainsbury's opened on Wharf Road.
“With UGO, we want to give people an exciting new supermarket that is bright and friendly. Our aim is that customers will able to get their full weekly shop in a compact store, while still offering them the great non-food deals that people have always loved about Netto.
"The opening of the Biddulph store was a great success and we are looking forward to taking the UGO brand across northern England during March and April.”
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