Morrisons made further inroads into the c-store sector this week when it opened its third convenience store.

The latest M Local store is on Grafton Street in Manchester. Food to go will form a core part of the 4,323sq ft store’s offering due to the large local student population.

It will also stock more than 100 fresh fruit and vegetable lines and 100 lines from the Morrisons M Savers range.

Store general manager Chris Hughes said: “We set ourselves the challenge of creating a convenience store that has a fantastic fresh food offer, while still delivering great value to our customers. This store will be ideal for students looking to stock up on essential items and pick up food on the go.”

As with the other two existing M Local stores in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, and Wilmslow in Cheshire, the Grafton Street store will be supplied by a nearby larger Morrisons store.

Contrary to recent reports in the local press, Morrisons insists that it has not yet made any definitive plans for rapid expansion within the c-store sector, and said it was concentrating on getting the concept right first.