Margram has sold off its entire retail business to Somerfield and is developing further sites for the supermarket chain.
However, the independent retailer, previously ranked 30 in The Grocer Top 50, is planning to run company-owned forecourts again in the future.
Chairman David Davis said: “This is part of our strategy of being very close to Somerfield - all of our operational sites have now been sold. We are now rebuilding the business and developing new operations for Somerfield and for ourselves.”
Twenty sites have been sold to the multiple in the last 18 months. These have all been stores of 4,000 sq ft with petrol services.
Margram decided to begin selling the stores to Somerfield after a five-year development programme with an offshore investor ended last year. An existing partnership with BP is to continue at the Somerfield-run forecourts.
Margram is now looking for similar sites with petrol facilities. Six are in the building, planning or development stages for Somerfield and six more should be developed by the end of the year. Two of these stores are earmarked for Margram, including one in Tunbridge Wells, and further company-owned stores may be acquired in the future.
Davis said: “The criteria for both Margram and Somerfield changes all the time - which sites we take on is something we would not be able to plan, but between ourselves and Somerfield we will look at different types of location, take those on board and operate them.”
However, the independent retailer, previously ranked 30 in The Grocer Top 50, is planning to run company-owned forecourts again in the future.
Chairman David Davis said: “This is part of our strategy of being very close to Somerfield - all of our operational sites have now been sold. We are now rebuilding the business and developing new operations for Somerfield and for ourselves.”
Twenty sites have been sold to the multiple in the last 18 months. These have all been stores of 4,000 sq ft with petrol services.
Margram decided to begin selling the stores to Somerfield after a five-year development programme with an offshore investor ended last year. An existing partnership with BP is to continue at the Somerfield-run forecourts.
Margram is now looking for similar sites with petrol facilities. Six are in the building, planning or development stages for Somerfield and six more should be developed by the end of the year. Two of these stores are earmarked for Margram, including one in Tunbridge Wells, and further company-owned stores may be acquired in the future.
Davis said: “The criteria for both Margram and Somerfield changes all the time - which sites we take on is something we would not be able to plan, but between ourselves and Somerfield we will look at different types of location, take those on board and operate them.”
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