Blakemore Trade Partners has further expanded its university-based estate by opening two new Spar stores at the University of Nottingham.

The new stores at the University’s Jubilee Campus and University Park Campus are 700sq ft and 2,000sq ft respectively and offer students an extensive new convenience range that comprises healthy choices alongside more conventional student products.

The range includes a selection of fresh produce, competitively priced meal deals and food to go, including Spar’s new Daily Deli food service concept. There are also carefully-selected seasonal offers to help students maximise their budgets.

Blakemore Trade Partners development director Louis Drake said: “Our aim was to create better value, more relevant stores for students. We believe that the symbol group is the perfect partner for universities and their high volume of overseas students. We will now look to expand to further universities within the UK. The A.F. Blakemore Group is also in the unique position of being able to provide universities with a proposition that extends beyond retail and shop fitting services to complete wholesale and catering solutions.”

The two new stores are run by the University of Nottingham’s Students’ Union, with all profits generated by the sites reinvested into the work of the Students’ Union.

Shops manager Kristian Bennett said: “We have seen a definite shift in the attitude of the student population over recent years, with increasing importance being placed on opportunities to stay healthy, as well as great value for money. We’re excited about the new partnership with Spar because it allows us to offer really great value, while also providing students with healthy alternatives that won’t break the bank.

“Since opening in mid-April, both sites have seen impressive sales growth, particularly the shop in the Portland Building on University Park, where week-in-week-out sales growth has been double-digit like-for-like.”

Blakemore Trade Partners currently trades with three universities, with further stores at the University of Essex and De Montfort University in Leicester.