Somerfield up for grabs!!
the rumor has it asda is interested in liegh green
tasty:
Somerfield up for grabs!!
I reckon Asda will snap it up.
SF have presence on the high street - somewhere I would imagine Asda are looking to get in on the action. Tesco & Sainsbury are there already to a point.
been up 4 sale 4 some time now…
i have been working in the leigh green depot for the past few weeks now.
tasty:
Somerfield up for grabs!!
Since the debacle with Kwik Save, Somerfield is seen as a nice juicy option. Tesco don’t need it and Morrison’s have only just sorted out integrating Safeway, plus they can’t afford it. Asda would seem obvious but the Competition Commission would be in like a flash and Asda would end up in the same situation as Morrison’s were with Safeway, what do you keep, what don’t you?
Which leaves Sainsbury’s; now that the private equity buyout is a distant dream they are ‘free’ to move as they please. The Jackson’s chain they bought out is mainly in the north which would mean only the northern Somerfields would be a ‘problem’. Filtering out a few Somerfield/ Jackson stores in the north and a very few Somerfield/ Sainsbury stores in the south would be a relatively simple project.
My money would go with Sainsbury’s.
Stan
I’ve no doubt that Sainsburys would be the buyer of choice but the average Somerfield shopper isn’t the same as your average Sainsburys shopper are they?
I would imagine if the nearest Somerfield to me, which is Newhaven I’m sure some of you know it, changed to a Sainsburys, then it would loose most of its customers.
I may be wrong but, based on my local area, all the Somerfields tend to be in “poor” areas, and I think their prices reflect this. ASDA would make far more choice as they’d have a chance of keeping the current Somerfield shopper.
Alex
I notice no-one’s mentioned the Co-op yet.
Oher potential players, of course, are Aldi and Lidl. Similar customer base and they both seem to be expanding at a fair rate.
Spacemonkey in Leigh Green. Mike C used to be there and i been with Somerfield since it started at Leigh Green (and 4 years before). I vote we change the name of this forum to the Leigh Green Society 
Count me in, I’ve been working there on and off for about 6 months
Off at the moment though 
Scarab:
I’ve no doubt that Sainsburys would be the buyer of choice but the average Somerfield shopper isn’t the same as your average Sainsburys shopper are they?I would imagine if the nearest Somerfield to me, which is Newhaven I’m sure some of you know it, changed to a Sainsburys, then it would loose most of its customers.
I may be wrong but, based on my local area, all the Somerfields tend to be in “poor” areas, and I think their prices reflect this. ASDA would make far more choice as they’d have a chance of keeping the current Somerfield shopper.
Alex
All the Jackson stores that Sainsbury’s acquired are in poor areas. They’ve all been converted to Sainsbury’s and it hasn’t stopped them thriving.
Stan
LASHHGV:
Spacemonkey in Leigh Green. Mike C used to be there and i been with Somerfield since it started at Leigh Green (and 4 years before). I vote we change the name of this forum to the Leigh Green Society
can i join please i live up the road near suttons
kwik save was downmarket
Somerfield is rarley seen in poor areas
Scarab:
I may be wrong but, based on my local area, all the Somerfields tend to be in “poor” areas, and I think their prices reflect this. ASDA would make far more choice as they’d have a chance of keeping the current Somerfield shopper.Alex
hitch:
kwik save was downmarket
Somerfield is rarley seen in poor areas
I am either confused or some people dont know what they are talking about.
Near me I have an Asda, Sainsbury’s, Co-Op, Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Somerfield and Farmfoods has taken over the old Kwik Save that used to be Netto, then in the 2 towns either side i have M+S
I would like to ask the people quoted above, With your obvious vast knowledge, What kind of area do I live in??
I’m a Yorkshire lad, moved down to Sussex a few years ago, and in Sussex at least, Somerfield stores ARE situated in poorer areas, and Sainsburys in the better off ones.
Newhaven: One Somerfield in the middle of the town, 30ft from the nearest council owned housing area. 2 miles to the east in the better off area is a Sainsburys.
Eastbourne: Sainsburys in the old town area, waitrose at the other side. Aldi and Tesco near the side of town with the immigrants and students.
Brighton: ASDA near the whitehawk estate and uni’s, Sainsburys down by the expensive houses at the city point development.
You can’t tell me that Supermarkets don’t position themselves to be in the areas they think their customer base is likely to be?
I think you’re all sort of right.
When SF bought KS it did convert some stores to the SF brand. It is very true these tended to be in not so desirable areas. I’m thinking Millfield, Peterborough etc. 
However, most SF stores are in nicer areas.
Somerfield’s main target customer are those who would shop at Waitrose and M&S - not Tesco or Sainsbury.
I remember when Tesco was busy doing it’s ‘blue stripe’ brand SF were bringing out the ‘So Good’ range.
Many stores are also ex-Safeway. These tend to be in decent areas too.
And for the record - I’m not some supermarket historian - I used to drive a trolley for SF. 
i used to live in a very depressed high unemployment town in the east midlands. sf and ks both fed the town and then along came sainsburys. on that basis i would say that the supermarkets build and sell where they are going to make money and dont bother too much about who they take they money from. morisons are there now as well.
I delivered to Somerfield Cheetham Hill and West Didsbury today at opposite ends of the social spectrum.
We also have a store in Alderly Edge (mr beckham was a customer) and one in Firth Park Sheffield where locals used a baseball bat on a driver.