Morrisons is planning to pilot a convenience food offer in ten petrol station shops owned and managed by Top 50 Indie Rontec.

Four Morrisons Daily shops will open before Christmas and a further six in January. They will be up to 3,000sq ft in size, and will sell branded and Morrisons own brand products.

The Morrisons Daily shops will be supplied by Morrisons via delivered wholesaler Palmer & Harvey.

Morrisons has already been trialling a convenience offer with another Top 50 Indie, Motor Fuel Group, since December last year.

In addition, Morrisons is developing a range of hundreds of convenience products for wholesale to independent retailers, branded Safeway. The range will be available from early next year.

David Potts, Chief Executive of Morrisons, said: “These are two capital light ways of growing in the convenience food market. By working with well-established partners and reviving the Safeway brand, we are making our products more accessible to more customers.”

Rontec chairman Gerald Ronson said: “We are constantly looking for ways in which we can improve the service and product range we offer to our customers and are pleased to be working together with Morrisons on this pilot.”

Chris Etherington, executive deputy chairman of Palmer & Harvey, said: “We are very excited by the opportunity to work with Morrisons to develop Morrisons Daily with Rontec. Palmer & Harvey has worked with the Rontec team for over 40 years and we are very much looking forward to building a long, successful relationship with Morrisons.”