A NEW independent supermarket chain opens its first outlet in Warrington on Saturday.
Asco Stores will open its doors at an 11,000 sq ft unit – which formerly housed Woolworths – in Sankey Street.
And the company has unveiled ambitious plans to be operating an additional 11 stores across the North-West by next summer.
Managing director Dave Laney is undeterred by the prospect of competing with established supermarket giants like Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
The firm is determined to source as much produce as possible from the North-West.
Mr Laney told LDP Business he was aiming for a market in between that served by Tesco and Booths.
“We are not looking to compete with the big supermarkets on price, but on the quality of our products.
“Before opening in Warrington, we carried out a substantial amount of research which indicated people in the town wanted something different from their grocery and food shopping.
“Our customers will come from every walk of life, but those people who work in or visit town centres and like to shop little and often are likely to form the core of our business. We plan to offer customers an alternative when shopping for their daily essentials which will give them a refreshing and pleasant change.”
The store opening has created 65 new jobs in Warrington, and Asco plans to create up to 3,000 jobs within the next three years by establishing a network of 30 supermarkets across the North and North-West.
Mr Laney added: “It takes a considerable effort to set a business like this up from scratch, but now we are about to open in Warrington we can use this as a blueprint for future stores.
“We are aiming to open up to 30 stores across the North and North- West within three years and I do not see any reason why we cannot achieve that. Our working practices are easy to understand – we aim to keep things simple.”
To help launch the store, Asco were advised by Kevin Connors, from NatWest, who provided banking facilities to the company.
Mr Laney joined Asco eight months ago following a 30-year career with some of the largest names in the retail sector, including WH Smith and Mothercare.
Backed by private investors, Asco is confident of building a network of stores in the short to medium term.
