Waitrose is in talks to take over sandwich bar chain Eat as part of its extensive expansion plans.
The upmarket retailer is said to be in talks to add Eat to its plethora of plans, which already include deals with Boots and petrol giant Shell, reports The Times.
Waitrose is said to be in exclusive negotiations to buy the company from the founders, Niall and Faith MacArthur, who own 45 per cent of the shares in Eat - with a sale price of around £100 million.
Waitrose is thought to be planning to open Eat cafés in its supermarkets, while selling its food in the outlets.
Waitrose has been given a month to finalise the deal for the 100-outlet chain with approval from its owner, the John Lewis Partnership, pending.
Waitrose managing director Mark Price said earlier this year that he wants to double sales to £10 billion by 2020, doubling the retailer's market share to eight per cent in the process.
The retailer has already struck a deal to sell Waitrose food in more than 700 Boots outlets, and is set to embark on a trial tie-up with Shell in a similar deal.
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