UK retailer The Co-operative submitted more planning applications than any other retailer in the first half of 2018, according to figures from construction industry firm Barbour ABI, reported in trade publication The Grocer.
According to the figures, The Co-op put in 34 planning applications between January and June, which is more than Lidl, with 32 applications, and Aldi, with 25 applications.
Further down the list, Iceland put in 21 applications, followed by another discounter, B&M (11 applications), Marks & Spencer (10 applications) and Iceland-owned Home Bargains (9 applications).
'Big Four' Applications
The 'Big Four' supermarket groups put in a total of 11 applications between them, with Asda submitting four, Tesco three, and Morrisons and Sainsbury's two each. Waitrose submitted no new planning applications in the period.
According to The Grocer, the same period last year saw Lidl (30 applications) and Aldi (29) lead the way, with the Co-operative in third (27).
“It appears the Co-op has seen an opportunity to compete in this new retail landscape,” Barbour ABI lead economist Michael Dall told The Grocer. “The discounters remain the most active in food retail construction but the rapid growth in the planning activity of Aldi and Lidl has subsided."
Growth Plans
In April, The Co-operative reported a 25% increase in annual profit, saying that it plans to open 100 convenience stores this year across the UK.
"We are going to deliver more Co-op products and services to more people throughout the country," Co-op chief executive Steve Murrells said in a statement at the tine.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine
