Supermarkets in the United Kingdom

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The UK supermarket sector is dominated by Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons which are the only chains which operate full-scale superstores of 40,000 square feet (3,700 m²) or more. There are no regional supermarket chains left in the United Kingdom which operate superstores, just a few small ones which operate smaller stores. The "Big 4" had a combined share of 75.63% of the UK grocery market in the 12 weeks to 22 April 2007 according to retail analysts TNS Worldpanel[citation needed].

The Co-operative Group is now the fifth largest food retailer in the UK, operating mainly smaller supermarkets and convenience stores, and having once been the UK's foremost retail force through its many local societies, followed by Somerfield in sixth place.

Marks and Spencer and Waitrose are the most upmarket national supermarket chains (although the former is also the UK's largest clothing retailer, and thus often is not perceived as a supermarket).

A common feature of pronunciation when referring to supermarkets in the United Kingdom is to add an 's' sound to the end of supermarket names which do not end in the letter 's' (as in "Tesco's," "Asda's," and the like).

Contents

[edit] List of current UK supermarket chains

[edit] List of defunct UK supermarket chains

These supermarkets are either no longer trading, have been renamed, or have been taken over and rebranded.

  • Alldays (bought by the Co-operative Group)
  • All 'Ours (a symbol group within the moffat company - later became premier stores)
  • Bejam (bought by Iceland)
  • Bishops (63 stores in SE England, acquired by Budgen in 1984) [1]
  • BP Safeway (Listed as Equinox retailing - a partnership between the two companies, dissolved following Safeway takeover, some stores now Tesco Express)
  • Carrefour (UK business sold to Gateway (Somerfield) then later to Asda)
  • Capital Freezer Centres now owned by Farmfoods
  • Circle K (became part of Alldays)
  • Day & Nite (bought by Tesco)
  • David Greig (bought by Somerfield)
  • Europa "(presence in central London; bought by Tesco)"
  • Fairway (became Gateway, now known as Somerfield)
  • Fine Fare (purchased and rebranded/integrated into Gateway chain, now Somerfield)
  • FreshXpress (formed in 2007 out of the remains of Kwik Save, however it went into administration in March 2008)
  • Food Giant rebranded as Kwik Save, then Somerfield
  • Gateway (now known as Somerfield)
  • Grandways (regional in Yorkshire, some stores sold to Argyll Group and Kwik Save in 1992 - 1993, remaineder renamed Jacksons, now owned by Sainsbury's)
  • GT Smith (regional in West Yorkshire, bought by Co-operative Group in 2002)
  • Hillards (bought by Tesco)
  • Hintons (mainly in North East England and Yorkshire was bought by Argyll Foods to become part of Presto then later Safeway and is now part of Wm Morrison)
  • International (became Gateway)
  • Jackson's (regional in Yorkshire and North Midlands, bought by Sainsbury's in 2004)
  • Key Markets (bought by Gateway eventually becoming part of Somerfield)
  • Kwik Save (part of Somerfield group, gone into administration in 2007, some stores now FreshXpress remaining stores converted to Somerfield or leased to others by somerfield group)
  • Laws
  • Liptons (became part of Allied Foods, then Argyll Foods, before Safeway (UK) and now part of Wm Morrison).
  • Local Plus (bought by the Co-operative Group)
  • L&N
  • MacFisheries (bought by International Stores)
  • Morning, Noon & Night (bought by Scotmid)
  • Normans bought by Plymco and rebranded
  • Normid (was owned by United Co-operatives)
  • Norco (an Aberdeen based co-operative society)
  • Presto (merged with Safeway, which is now part of Wm Morrison)
  • Quality Fare (bought by the Co-operative Group)
  • Safeway (UK) (bought by Wm Morrison - "Safeway Compact" stores sold on to Somerfield and other retailers) - brand no longer trading in UK.
  • Shop Rite (Discount supermarket chain taken over by Kwik Save which was later taken over by Somerfield)
  • Templeton
  • VG (became Alldays which, in turn, was bought by the Co-operative Group)
  • Victor Value (bought by Bejam, later sold to Tesco when Bejam was bought by Iceland)
  • Wavy Line (Unknown)
  • Wm Low (presence in Scotland and northern England, bought by and rebranded as Tesco)
  • Stewarts/Crazy Prices (ABF owned Northern Ireland group, bought by Tesco)
  • Supernational (became Gateway)
  • Walter Willson (regional in northern England bought by Alldays which later was bought by the Co-operative Group)

[edit] See also

  • Current trends in food retailing.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Competition Commission report, para 3.10 (a)
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