Following the collapse of Palmer and Harvey, Nisa has agreed a new short-term supply contract to cover McColl’s stores that were previously supplied by Palmer and Harvey.

McColl’s Retail Group had already given notice on its supply contract with P&H, having agreed a wholesale deal with Morrisons, but it is not due to kick in until January 2018.

All of the McColl’s stores previously supplied by Palmer and Harvey will receive ambient stock delivered through existing Nisa-supplied McColl’s stores, for onward transfer by McColl’s teams.

Arnu Misra, interim CEO of Nisa, said: “I’m very pleased that Nisa has been selected by McColl’s to further support them at this crucial time. We have a highly flexible distribution model that enables us to scale quickly to members’ needs and as demand dictates. As a result, we will continue to manage both existing and new members without impacting our traditionally high levels of service, especially over the peak trading period.”

Earlier, McColl’s Retail Group chief executive Jonathan Miller said it was seeking to ensure continuity of supply to around 700 newsagents and smaller convenience stores, previously supplied by P&H, within its estate of 1,611 stores. McColl’s has a portfolio of seven forecourts, six of which are Gulf-branded.