Spar UK has signed an agreement to open stores at key transit locations across the country in partnership with motorway services operator Roadchef.
The first test store will go life at the beginning of next month, at the Strensham motorway service area on the M5, in Worcestershire, followed by Northampton on the M1.
The intention is that Spar will operate across all 29 Roadchef sites if the trials are a success.
Roadchef said rollout would give Spar access to 46m visitors to its sites each year.
The Spar stores will be the symbol group’s latest updated convenience format with “a number of more artisan offerings” that Roadchef said will meet the increasing demand from motorists for a wider range of healthy, fresh produce at motorway service areas.
Debbie Robinson, Spar UK managing director, said it would “bring a fresh approach to motorway food retailing.
“We are looking forward to showcasing our latest store concept on these two sites, which will include a bakery and our new Daily Deli foodservice offering; and appealing to customers with our award-winning Spar brand range.”
Simon Turl, Roadchef chief executive, said: “We spent a great deal of time analysing a wide range of options available to us in the marketplace to best match what our customers have told us they require from a grocery store on the motorway.”
The company chose Spar because of its “industry-leading store design and presentation together with the strength of their distribution platform which gives us access to a huge range of products at great value prices”, he said.
Spar first made a brief appearance at Roadchef services in the 1990s.
It also operates stores on several Euro Garages motorway service sites, including Rivington Services on the M61 in Lancashire.
Roadchef also has one trunk road location at Sutton Scotney, in Hampshire.
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