C-store veteran David Sands to launch new store
Convenience store veteran David Sands and his father Lindsay have joined forces with former Bellevue Cash & Carry owner Graham Benson and Colin Smith, the former regional manager for Bestway Direct in Scotland, to launch a new store in Musselburgh.
David Sands, who sold his 28-strong Scottish convenience chain of the same name to The Co-operative Group in 2012, is also set to open a new store in Glenrothes in Fife in March.
The Pinkie Farm Convenience Store in Musselburgh, which is being built on the site of a former farm on the outskirts of the East Lothian town, will open in May. It will be managed by Smith who is also managing director of parent company Lothian Stores and is investing in the business alongside Benson, and David and Lindsay Sands.
Smith is now seeking additional sites for the business.
Never Miss a Retail Update!Trading under the Pinkie name and supplied by Nisa, the new 6000 sq ft store will retain the character, heritage and values of the existing adjacent Pinkie store, a traditional farm shop which has been sold along with some of the farmland to the Pinkie directors.
Using the strapline ‘Honest Local Value’, the store will have a have a strong focus on fresh and chilled foods including meat from a local butcher, fresh fish and locally supplied fruit and vegetables. It will also feature food-to-go lines prepared on site as well as an in-store bakery and café.
“It’s a true convenience store in every sense but much bigger and with a fresh and food-to-go offer that few c-stores are able to provide because of space restrictions,” said Smith.
Smith also confirmed that the store intends to emulate the former David Sands business by supporting local and Scottish producers and providing customers with interesting products that are not widely available in the local area.
