Londis is 60 years old and “stronger than ever” following three record-breaking years of sales growth and recruitment, according to Martin Swadling, Londis brand director, as he revealed a host of consumer and retailer initiatives for 2019 to celebrate the milestone anniversary.
He said 1,160 retailers had joined the brand since 2016, with 60% coming from competitor symbols. He also revealed that 49% of its retail stores are in the forecourt sector, a mixture of independent retailers and groups, most notable of which is MFG.
“We were very lucky back in 2016/17 to win the MFG contract which made a fundamental difference to our performance and our portfolio and also to the mix of our stores. Suddenly we became a much bigger forecourt operator. That relationship has moved on and on, and when recently MFG acquired MRH we are delighted that we won that contract to supply the MRH stores too, which are being transferred over time to Londis and Budgens, in line with the MFG estate.
“We’re also delighted MFG has made the decision to give us 130 Spar stores to Londis and Budgens over the coming 12 months. We also have active national accounts with businesses such as Applegreen and Roadchef, so there’s lots of good development in the forecourt world.”
Londis was founded by John Leach at Londis District Stores in 1959. It was bought by the Musgrave Group in 2004 and then by the Booker Group in 2015, since when it has enjoyed record growth from -20% to +16%.
Swadling said there would be bigger group benefits in 2019 – “bigger group, better for all” – with Londis 60th Celebration activity including retailer deals on various product lines; as well as consumer text-to-win competitions offering a range of prizes including a trip to Australia with McGuigan Wines; cars; family holidays; gadgets and cash.
No comments yet