Danish discounter Netto looks to have accelerated its search for sites just seven months after returning to the UK as part of a joint venture with Sainsbury’s.
The retailer opened its sixth UK store on Thursday in Queen’s Road, Sheffield.
Marketing director Tom Hampson said Lincoln, Brookfield and Lymm were also in the pipeline.
Netto also hopes to open three more Yorkshire outlets in Hedon, Leeds, and New Edlington, where it has bought three stores from The Co-operative Group, subject to CMA approval.
A source close to Netto said the company was “sufficiently confident” to want to open a lot more. Netto chief executive Per Bank told The Grocer last December that if the model was not working, it would pull out by August.
A formal decision on its rollout ambitions now looks to have been put back a few months, though Hampson insisted timings remained in line with its original plans. “We are on track with our original plan to have 15 stores by the end of the financial year in March,” he said.
“A formal decision on what’s next for the trial will be made towards the end of the year. We launched the business at sites across the North of England and based our store support centre here in Wakefield because we believe there is a lot of opportunity for Netto across the region.
“The response we’ve seen to our first five stores only confirms this, so our location focus for the short term will remain in the North.”
Netto quit the UK when Asda bought 193 stores for £778m in May 2010.
It reappeared as part of the arrangement with Sainsbury’s last November with a first outlet in Leeds, followed by Ormskirk; Heaton Park Manchester; Kilner Way Retail Park, Sheffield; and Thorne Road Retail Park, Doncaster.
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