List of convenience shops in the United Kingdom facts for kids

A convenience shop is a small shop that sells everyday items. These can include food, drinks, newspapers, and other household goods. They are usually open for long hours, sometimes even 24/7. This makes them handy for quick stops when you need something right away.

History of UK Convenience Shops

The world of convenience shops in the UK has changed a lot over the years. Big companies often buy smaller ones. This helps them grow and reach more customers.

In 2015, a company called Booker Group bought two well-known brands: Londis and Budgens. This added many shops to their business.

Later, in 2016, McColl's bought nearly 300 shops from the Co-op. This made McColl's much bigger.

In 2017, there was talk about Sainsbury's buying Nisa, another big supplier to small shops. But this deal didn't happen because of worries about fair competition. Instead, the Co-operative Group ended up buying Nisa for £140 million.

More recently, in 2022, McColl's faced some problems. It was then bought by Morrisons, another large supermarket chain. This shows how often these shops change hands.

Current UK Convenience Shops

Today, convenience shops in the UK are run in two main ways. Some are owned directly by large supermarket chains. Others are part of "symbol groups." Symbol groups are networks where independent shop owners use a well-known brand name and get supplies from a central company.

Major Retailers' Shops

These are smaller shops owned by big supermarket chains. They often sell products from their main brand.

Shop name	Image	Started in UK	Owned by	What makes it special
Aldi Local			Aldi	These are smaller Aldi shops. They are usually found in city centres.
Amazon Fresh		2021	Amazon	These shops are special because they have no cashiers! You just pick your items and leave.
Asda Express			Asda	Asda started these smaller shops in 2022. They plan to open many more by 2026.
Circle K			Alimentation Couche-Tard	A top shop found at petrol stations. They have 49 sites in Northern Ireland.
Co-op Food		1844	Various consumers' co-operatives	The Co-op is a group of many smaller co-op businesses. They have the most convenience shops in the UK.
Heron Foods			B&M Group	This chain has about 300 convenience shops across the UK.
Iceland Local		2023	Iceland	Iceland launched these new, smaller shops in 2023.
Lidl			Lidl	Lidl also has smaller shops. They are often in busy city areas.
Little Waitrose		2008	Waitrose	These small shops sell popular Waitrose products.
Marks & Spencer Simply Food		2005	Marks & Spencer and BP	Many of these shops are found at BP petrol stations.
McColl's			Morrisons	These shops are in England and Wales. Morrisons is changing many of them to 'Morrisons Daily'.
Morrisons Daily		2019	Morrisons	Morrisons owns and franchises about 480 of these convenience shops.
One Stop			Tesco	Tesco has about 1,000 One Stop shops. Some are owned, some are franchises.
Poundland Local			Poundland	These are convenience shops run by Poundland.
RS McColl's			Morrisons	These shops are in Scotland. They are also being changed to 'Morrisons Daily'.
Sainsbury's Local		1998	Sainsbury's	Sainsbury's runs about 800 of these smaller shops.
Tesco Express			Tesco	These are Tesco's second smallest shops. There are about 2,000 across the country.

Symbol Groups and Chains

These are groups where independent shop owners use a shared brand name. They get their products from a main supplier.

Shop name	Image	Started in UK	Owned by	What makes it special
Best-one		1990	Bestway Wholesale	This group has over 2,000 independent shops in England and Jersey.
Blakemore Retail		1917	Privately owned	This is a large family-owned group of shops. They are part of the Spar UK network.
Budgens		1872	Tesco (Booker Group)	Budgens is a well-known brand for independent shops in England and Wales.
Central Convenience Stores			Bestway Wholesale	These are franchise shops mainly found in the Dorset area.
Costcutter		1986	Bestway Wholesale	Costcutter supplies many independent shops. They also use brands like Mace and Kwiksave.
Day-Today		2003	United Wholesale (Scotland)	This group started in 2003. There are now over 300 Day-Today shops in Scotland.
EG on the Move		2001	EG Group	These shops are found at petrol stations. EG Group sold most of its UK sites to Asda in 2023.
Family Choice			Tesco (Booker Group)	This is another symbol group.
Family Shopper		2014	Tesco (Booker Group)	Booker set up this group to offer more discounted products.
Go Local Extra			A G Parfetts Cash & Carry	This is a symbol group for independent shops.
Greens Retail			Greens	This is a growing chain of convenience shops in Scotland.
GT Retail			James Retail Group	A chain of convenience shops in the Midlands and North of England.
HKS Retail Ltd		1984		They run petrol stations and convenience shops in the Midlands.
Jones Convenience Stores		1911	Privately owned	A chain of 16 shops in Somerset.
KeyStore			J.W Filshill	A leading symbol group for shops in Scotland.
Lifestyle Express			Unitas Wholesale	This group has about 2,000 independent shops.
Londis		1959	Tesco (Booker Group)	Londis is a well-known symbol group for convenience shops.
Mace			Bestway Wholesale (UK) and Musgrave (Northern Ireland)	Mace is a popular symbol group.
mfg			Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R)	A top operator of petrol stations with about 900 sites. They also have shops and food places.
Nisa		1977	The Co-operative Group	Nisa supplies about 5,000 shops.
Premier		1994	Tesco (Booker Group)	Premier is a large symbol group with over 2,400 independent shops.
Proudfoot Supermarkets		1946	Privately owned	A chain of supermarkets and convenience shops in Scarborough.
Select & Save			Privately owned	This group has 100 convenience shops. They are supplied by Nisa.
Shop'N Drive		2012	Rontec	These shops are found at roadside petrol stations.
Simply Fresh			Bestway Wholesale	A group of 25 convenience shops. They are linked to Costcutter.
Spar		1957	Owned by independent retailers	Spar is a very well-known symbol group.
Today's Extra		1985	Unitas Wholesale	This group has about 400 convenience shops.
USave		2003	United Wholesale (Scotland)	This group started in 2003. There are over 200 USave shops in Scotland.
Welcome			Southern Co-op	A franchise chain with about 69 shops in southern England.
Whistlestop			Select Service Partner	These shops are mostly found in train stations, coach stations, and airports.

Shops That Are No Longer Around

Many convenience shop brands have come and gone over the years. Here are some that are no longer operating under their original names.

Shop name	Image	Started in UK	What happened to it	Notes
Aberness			Bought by Somerfield in 2004	This was a chain of convenience shops in Scotland.
Alldays		1991	Bought by the Co-operative Group	This group started in 1991 but faced problems in 2002.
All 'Ours			Merged with Premier Stores	This was a symbol group.
Bells Stores			Bought by Sainsbury's in 2004	A small chain of 54 shops in North East England. They became Sainsbury's Local.
Botterils Convenience Shops		c.1950s	Bought by Scotmid in 2010	A small chain of 51 shops in Scotland.
Central Shops		2013	Bought by Conviviality Retail in 2017
Circle K			Bought by Watson & Philip in 1993	These American-owned shops were rebranded as Alldays.
Cullens		2004	Bought by Tesco	These shops were mainly in central London. They had been around since 1876.
David Sands		1812	Bought by Co-operative Group in 2012	A chain of 28 shops in Scotland.
Dawn Til Dusk		1986	Closed down in 1999	This was an English chain of 90 shops in the North of England.
Dillons			Rebranded as One Stop in the early 2000s	This was a symbol group.
Europa		2004	Bought by Tesco	These shops were mainly in central London.
Happy Shopper			Booker Group	Once a symbol group, now a brand sold in Premier Stores.
Harts		2004	Bought by Tesco	These shops were mainly in central London.
Healds Day & Nite			Bought by Tesco's One Stop in 2000	A chain of 98 convenience shops.
Jacksons Stores		1991	Bought by Sainsbury's in 2004	These shops were in Yorkshire and the North Midlands. They became Sainsbury's Local.
Local Plus		2001	Bought by the Co-operative Group	A chain of 64 shops.
Loco		2012	The Co-operative Group (Nisa Group)	This symbol group had 50 shops. It was replaced by Nisa Express.
Misselbrook & Weston (M&W)			Bought by T&S Stores	This company originally ran One Stop shops.
Melias			Bought by Dee Corporation	A chain of convenience shops.
Morning, Noon & Night		1991	Bought by Scotmid in 2004
My Local		2011	Closed down in 2016	These shops were first called M Local by Morrisons. They were sold and renamed My Local.
7-Eleven			Taken over by Budgens	This was a convenience shop chain.
Sperrings		1985	Became Alldays	A chain of convenience stores.
Swift			Iceland Foods	These shops closed in 2023.
Ugo		2011	Owned by Haldanes Group	A chain of 22 shops that closed in 2012.
VG			Shops rebranded as Spar or Alldays
Wavy Line				A small chain of shops in the South and South East of England.

See also

• List of supermarket chains in the United Kingdom
• List of convenience stores