Anne Bruce Safeway has become the latest supermarket to set its sights on the convenience market, with plans to launch a chain of c-stores across the country. The first two sites, in prime locations in Edinburgh and Glasgow town centres, will start trading in time for Christmas. To date Safeway has used the term "convenience" to describe stores of around 12,000 sq ft but, in a radical departure, is looking for stores as small as 3,500 sq ft. They will carry Safeway's Fresh to Go offer and open from 8am to 10pm, seven days a week. Safeway regional property development controller Bruce Lindsay said the chain wanted to open as many convenience style stores in prime locations across the UK as it could find. Safeway is building on the expertise it has gained from petrol forecourt retailing with BP as it prepares to range, merchandise and supply small stores. Tesco has also announced plans to build a chain of Express c-stores ­ after developing shops on forecourts, largely through its joint venture with Esso. Mark Aylwin, Safeway supply and logistics director, said: "Convenience stores are something we can take in our stride as we already supply to BP. We will not have to put up prices in c-stores because we have built in supply chain efficiencies at BP, delivering from our fresh food warehouses from shorter vehicles." Safeway's Glasgow site will be 4,000sq ft and its Edinburgh site 4,500sq ft. Both qualify for extended trading hours. Lindsay said that extended hours were not as important as location in the chain's search for sites. l Sainsbury is seeking c-store sites in Scotland, after opening its first Local c-store in Glasgow city centre. {{NEWS }}

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