Musgrave Retail Partners has revealed ambitious plans to convert 65 Londis stores to its new design format by the end of the year.
So far, six Londis stores have converted to the design which is available in four formats: Urban Neighbourhood; Rural Neighbourhood; Central; and Essentials. The stores boast a new fascia, redesigned in-store fixtures and fittings as well as the symbol group's own 'On the go' food-to-go branding.
The new format also focuses on building a strong relationship between store staff and customers by highlighting the fact that the store is independently owned and part of the community. A further 20 stores have already been earmarked for conversion.
The rollout follows a successful pilot programme which began with the redevelopment of Steve Bassett's Abbotsbury Road Londis store in Weymouth, Dorset. The latest converted store to open is Alkesh Patel's Boundary Road Londis in Portslade, East Sussex.
Regional sales director Paul Courtney told Convenience Store: "We've moved on from the pilot stage and made some modifications after carrying out consumer research. 'On the go' has been very well received in an already competitive market. We're aiming to have converted 65 stores by the end of the year and hope to exceed that."