Sainsbury's is to focus on boosting store numbers outside its traditional heartland in southern England.

The supermarket revealed it would target Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the south west of England as it secured a deal to open its first new store in north Wales in 16 years.

The 25,000 sq ft store in Flint, which opens in the summer, will take Sainsbury's store numbers in Wales up to nine.

"We have got demanding targets to grow our sales area by 10% over the next two years," said a spokeswoman.

"Wales is an area of the UK where we are really under-represented, as is the case in Northern Ireland and the south west. We also have big plans for Scotland."

Currently, 44.6% of Sainsbury's total sales are generated in the south of England, where it has a 30.5% share of the grocery market [TNS data].

Some 9.6% of its sales come from stores in Wales and the west of England, where it has a grocery market share of 7.2%.

In Scotland, which generates of 6.3% Sainsbury's total sales, the retailer has a 10% share of the market.

In January, Sainsbury's bought two supermarkets and a forecourt from Northern Ireland retailer Curley's, and said there was still room to grow in the province, where it now has 11 stores.

Sainsbury's said its property team was now analysing the Competition Commission's proposed remedies in its groceries inquiry, published last week, to see what impact these could have on its growth plans.

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