Mark Rollmann walked into the lion's den at Gleneagles and emerged, practically unscathed, out the other side. Rollmann, as general manager for Sainsbury's Local, represents the new kid on the block as the multiple stores muscle in. He looks after five Local stores at the moment, but has a target of 40 by April 2001 and 200 over the next three years in the UK. The Grocer reported last week (p6) how Sainsbury had already begun advertising for suitable sites with a sales area of about 3,000 sq ft. Rollmann said the stores would serve three distinct types of shoppers ­ the top up shopper' buying grab and go items, the habitual shopper' wanting regular items such as cigarettes, and the distress shopper' purchasing last minute items. But delegates were underwhelmed. One leading independent retailer said: "I am largely reassured. Sainsbury has come in with a grand plan that completely ignores the concept of a local store. We are about serving the community by offering, say, sale and return products for community events, and through getting involved with our customers." {{NEWS }}

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