Bargain Booze is on track to open its 50th convenience store by the autumn.

The group recently opened its 34th Bargain Booze Select Convenience franchised outlet – in Ulverston, Cumbria – and group bosses expect to reach the 50 mark for c-stores “within the next couple of months”.

About 80% of current Select Convenience franchisees have been recruited from outside the group. At the same time, the chain is rolling out its recently-refreshed Bargain Booze Plus format for stores that want to add grocery and impulse lines to the core off-licence range, but lack sufficient space for a full convenience offering.

Six of the 160 stores currently trading under the Plus banner have adopted the latest version of the format, and the company expects to recruit more stores in the coming months.

Both Bargain Booze convenience offers are built around a strong off-licence range with complementary grocery and impulse items added according to store size and location.

Food products are delivered to stores from its depot in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, alongside alcohol orders.