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Re: Very local chains

Posted: Wed 20 Jan, 2016 00.09
by bilky asko
JAS84 wrote:You misread my post. I said that Sainsbury's Local had moved, or rather, reopened after being gone for a while. That shop on the corner of Paragon Street is still a Heron.
Thank goodness!

If anything, Sainsbury's reopening is potentially far more interesting. I presume the opening hours are better than the old ones on Paragon Street.

Re: Very local chains

Posted: Wed 20 Jan, 2016 08.05
by WillPS
JAS84 wrote:
wells wrote:Since having year living in the North East, I've noticed a couple of Heron's in the Midlands. But it's as far South as that brand travels as of yet.
Yes, Heron mostly exists in the north of England. They're based in Hull.

Another Hull example would have been Jackson's, prior to them being taken over by Sainsbury's 12 years ago - they're now mostly Sainsbury's Locals though a few have closed down. Ironically, they closed the one in Hull City Centre (due to competition from a nearby Tesco Extra), which became a Heron that still displays a WJ monogram at the entrance, only to regret it and later re-open in a former Post Office nearby!
Was it a matter of regret? I doubt it.

That store seemed to have some weird opening hours - are you sure it wasnt that they couldn't get the licenses they needed at the old address but could at the new one? Seems likely to me it's was a matter of lack of opportunity at one site and the opposite somewhere else nearby.

Incidentally a rump of Jacksons stores was passed to the Co-op, some mid transformation here: https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id= ... =sainsbury (an excellent Flickr feed incidentally).

Re: Very local chains

Posted: Wed 20 Jan, 2016 08.17
by woah
The ex-Jacksons branches of JS I have visited seem to fall well below Sainsbury's normal standards and would really benefit from a refurb - they don't even have any self service tills. The one at Nether Edge in Sheffield in particular is essentially a shed - there is also a water leak down one of the walls and a slight smell of damp.

Is this a common experience?

Re: Very local chains

Posted: Wed 20 Jan, 2016 08.29
by WillPS
woah wrote:The ex-Jacksons branches of JS I have visited seem to fall well below Sainsbury's normal standards and would really benefit from a refurb - they don't even have any self service tills. The one at Nether Edge in Sheffield in particular is essentially a shed - there is also water leaking down the walls and a slight smell of damp.

Is this a common experience?
Ha, I helped strip that branch when it was transformed. The landlord has planning permission to build there and it took protracted negotiations to get a lease to justify the refurb. It's a goldmine of a site thanks to the area it sits in, so it was worth it - but it will at some point have to move.

Self checkouts didn't start going in to Locals (even in London, except perhaps 1 or 2 trial stores) until 2008. Jacksons stores generally have a different cashing up procedure which involves removable till cassettes (the office is generally immediately behind the kiosk, whereas in purpose built stores the office way off in the back somewhere with a suction tube system to dump cash directly in to a safe). I'm not sure this works in conjunction with self checkouts...

Re: Very local chains

Posted: Wed 20 Jan, 2016 13.13
by bilky asko
That would explain the distinct lack of self service machines at the Sainsbury's Locals I frequented in Hull (bar the 24 hour one after a few months).

Re: Very local chains

Posted: Thu 03 Mar, 2016 23.16
by woah
WillPS wrote:
woah wrote:The ex-Jacksons branches of JS I have visited seem to fall well below Sainsbury's normal standards and would really benefit from a refurb - they don't even have any self service tills. The one at Nether Edge in Sheffield in particular is essentially a shed - there is also water leaking down the walls and a slight smell of damp.

Is this a common experience?
Ha, I helped strip that branch when it was transformed. The landlord has planning permission to build there and it took protracted negotiations to get a lease to justify the refurb. It's a goldmine of a site thanks to the area it sits in, so it was worth it - but it will at some point have to move.

Self checkouts didn't start going in to Locals (even in London, except perhaps 1 or 2 trial stores) until 2008. Jacksons stores generally have a different cashing up procedure which involves removable till cassettes (the office is generally immediately behind the kiosk, whereas in purpose built stores the office way off in the back somewhere with a suction tube system to dump cash directly in to a safe). I'm not sure this works in conjunction with self checkouts...
Sorry for the late reply, I've only just spotted this for some reason.

Interesting stuff, thank you - that probably explains why it remained a Jackson's store till 2008 and also why it seems to be pretty neglected as most Sainsbury's do seem well looked after! The whole piece of land the store is on could be used much more effectively so hopefully in time a new store will be built.

Re: Very local chains

Posted: Sat 05 Mar, 2016 22.49
by Ant
One that springs to mind around these parts is Scotmid (Scottish Midland) Co-operative. Largely separate from The Co-operative Group but still connected in some way. 350 stores across Scotland, NI and the north of England according to their website.

I know in Edinburgh we have a strange situation where we have Scotmids and Co-operative Food stores within short distances from one another, although there's far more of the former.