The fifth store trading under Blakemore Wholesale’s Bmorelocal fascia has opened in Newcastle upon Tyne.

The 1,250 sq ft store in Kenton, Newcastle, has re-opened after a £25,000 conversion to the Bmorelocal brand.

The former Apex convenience store located on a residential estate offers the full Bmorelocal symbol group package together with free-to-use ATM, PayPoint, and Lottery.

Blakemore Wholesale describes Bmorelocal as its premium store format aimed at attracting the best retailers with the highest store standards.

The store owners, Stephen Ridden and Chris Blake, have been Blakemore Wholesale members for five years and won its Retailer of the Year title in 2013.

The retailers said: “We joined Blakemore Wholesale five years ago with the main reason being to enhance our overall profitability. Having traded over this time we were looking for a complete new identity to take us beyond 2020.

“We were therefore delighted and excited when we were approached at the end of last year about the possibility of becoming a Bmorelocal store. We have not been disappointed with how the new store looks, with full support from Blakemore Wholesale and a personal store investment of over £25,000.

“The store went live on 24 February, with lots of giveaways and activity on the day, which was well supported by existing as well as new customers.”

As part of Blakemore Wholesale’s commitment to the communities it serves, its charitable trust, the Blakemore Foundation, has pledged to award each Bmorelocal store £200 to donate to a charity of their choice. Chris and Stephen have chosen to award their donation to the NSPCC.