Sainsbury’s has opened the doors of two new stores operating under its fledgling Neighbourhood Hub format.
The openings in Bishop’s Waltham (9,113 sq. ft.) and Midhurst (12,168 sq. ft.) follow trials of the format at a store in Woodhall Spa that began in 2019. Last week, Sainsbury’s announced that it planned to roll out around 18 hub stores over the next three years as part of plans to refocus on its core food business.
The format is described as offering the best “in neighbourhood” one-stop offer. The new stores are also said to cater to the shift seen throughout the pandemic towards longer and more complete shopping missions.
The new outlets are a food-led extension of the group’s existing convenience offer but in a much larger format (around twice the size of a standard Sainsbury’s Local). Key features include coffee-to-go and fresh juicers, a broad produce range, meat-free and plant-based options, a variety of scratch cooking ingredients, floral and gifting, pet and household supplies, and cosmetics. There are also Argos and Tu clothing collection points.
Graham Biggart, Sainsbury’s Director of Commercial Operations said: “Our Neighbourhood Hub stores have the community at heart and offer our customers the opportunity to complete their shopping closer to home.
“We have set up these stores to offer the most relevant products and services our customers need to fulfil their daily needs, including longer shopping missions and a mix of great-value Food and General Merchandise, together with the convenience of Argos and Tu Clothing click & collect. At Sainsbury’s we’re constantly striving to make the experience for our customers as convenient as possible and we’re confident we have curated the ideal solution for these communities.”
NAM Implications:
- The test will be ‘in the eating..’
- Best for suppliers to anticipate success…
- …and a roll-out as fast as Sainsbury’s are planning.
