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Article: The mainland threat: is the Safeway fallout worrying NI independents?(Analysis)(Northern Ireland grocery stores)(Illustration)
- Article from:
- Grocer
- Article date:
- August 30, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 William Reed Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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With 10-plus strong brands touting for business on a 5,500 sq mile patch, Northern Ireland's 1.7 million residents are spoilt for choice when it comes to groceries. If Tesco, Sainsbury, Safeway and Iceland's stores don't appeal, there is any number of Spar, Mace, Dunnes, Costcutter, Co-op or Centra outlets to visit.
The impending Safeway sale promises to intensify the turf war. A new EDLP arrival like Morrisons or Asda taking over its 12 Northern Irish stores would put pressure on prices. A Sainsbury or Tesco acquisition could also have a dramatic impact, creating major overlaps in a saturated market.
So does the independent sector now need to ...