Off-licence operator Bargain Booze has unveiled the new fascia for its foray into the convenience store sector.

It hopes to turn the new franchise venture, to be called Bargain Booze Select Convenience, into a 40-store business by the end of the year. The format, which combines the group's off-licence offer with a full convenience range, is being rolled out after a trial of the concept at 10 pilot stores in the north west of England and Wales.

Joint managing director Matthew Hughes said Bargain Booze's "proven destination booze offering" would drive the new convenience business.

"We have the range, the supply chain and the retail disciplines," he said. "We can take on the competition and win. Retailers are queuing up to join and so far, consumer feedback has been fantastic."

New Bargain Booze Select Convenience stores would include a mixture of new franchisees and existing Bargain Booze franchisees wishing to switch fascias, he said. The offer would not be focused on distress convenience, but on shoppers wanting to do a full weekly shop, said Hughes.

Bargain Booze has joined the retail arm of Nisa-Today's, which will be supplying its new c-stores with a range of ambient grocery lines, as well as chilled and frozen products.

The Scunthorpe-based buying group will deliver to stores up to six times each week.

Earlier this year, Bargain Booze ended its membership of the Today's Group, the wholesale part of Nisa-Today's, saying it had never bought anything for its stores through the business.

Bargain Booze will continue to offer twice-weekly alcohol deliveries from its own dedicated facility in Crewe.

However, Hughes insisted that the standalone off-licence concept was "far from dead". The company planned to continue developing its standalone offer with improved chillers and more customer-friendly displays for beer and wine, he said.

Bargain Booze, which is owned by private equity firm ECI Partners and operates more than 600 off-licences, revealed its intention to move into the grocery sector in April.

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