Somerfield roll out new store design

Somerfield is following the lead of supermarket giants Tesco, Safeway and Sainsbury’s by rolling out its new-look stores to improve customer service.

The chain is rebranding 620 Gateway stores under the Somerfield name. So far, 20 Gateway stores have been converted to Somerfield with the new format.

Somerfield marketing director David Coles, who joined the chain in April from Safeway, says the new design has been made from the consumers’ perspective. “This is a major opportunity for us to give the Somerfield brand values beyond the price equation,” he says.

It includes removing soft drinks and sweets from the checkout areas. Rotisseries and in-store bakeries have been introduced as have “space-efficient” freezers and shelving units. The new stores also include mother and baby parking bays, a range of new trolleys and covered trolley bays.

Coles says the new design, which is 15 per cent more expensive than the previous one, will be introduced at a rate of four stores a week.