Tesco expands offering by buying up independent chain

Supermarket
giant Tesco has further cemented its dominance of the sector by buying a
leading independent retail chain.

Tesco
has bought T&S Stores, the UK’s second largest independent chain, for
around £377m.

The
deal covers some 850 convenience stores, but Tesco said more than half will be
converted to its Express format.

Tesco
already has an 18 per cent market share of food retailing market and hopes the
move into the convenience store sector will give it more of a local presence.

By Ross Wigham