LARBERT has been confirmed as the third Eddy’s Food Station location, opening today, hot on the heels of the inaugural Alloa store which opened just a few months ago, and the Greenock store last week.
The newest venture from Stephen Thompson, former CEO and co-founder of Morning, Noon & Night, Eddy’s Food Station has plans to open 30 stores, creating 500 jobs across Scotland, over the next five years. The Alloa store has already created 14 new jobs and the two new store openings bring employment opportunities in excess of 30, with 15 of those roles at the Larbert store.
Costcutter has also been announced as the main supply partner for the three Eddy’s Food Station stores with plans to supply all 30 once open.
Formerly a Spar and NISA store, the Greenock and Larbert stores respectively, will initially retain their current look, however, both sites will see significant renovations in the coming months transforming them into bright, modern-day convenience stores, in line with the Eddy’s flagship Alloa location. The renovation will also see a ‘Food-To-Go’ offering introduced.
The Alloa store opening marked the retail comeback for Stephen Thompson, who is the son of, and worked alongside Eddie Thompson OBE, co-founder of convenience store chain Morning, Noon & Night. One of the most significant retail deals in Scotland saw the chain of 50 stores sold for £30 million in 2004.
Stephen Thompson, Chief Executive at Eddy’s Food Station, said: “The opportunity to operate a successful chain of convenience stores is very promising right now and these acquisitions, in very quick succession, are the next extremely exciting step in the long journey for the Eddy’s Food Station brand. When we launched in May we stated we planned to open 30 stores within five years. With two additional stores already added to the roster and more in the pipeline, we are very much on track to meet that target.
“By adding another very central location and launching our first store in the west of Scotland, we’re making roots in three very well-known and highly populated locations, building on the success of the Alloa store.”
Jamie Davison, Business Development Director, Bestway Retail, said,
“We are absolutely delighted that Costcutter will be the main supply partner for the three Eddy’s Food Station stores that have opened in Scotland and we very much looking forward to supplying the further 30 stores that they plan to open over the next five years.
The Eddy’s Food Station stores will not only have access to Costcutter’s 14,000 SKU range including Direct to Store they will also have access to 2,000 Co-op own brand products. The stores will also benefit from Costcutter’s loyalty scheme rewards, the Shopper First growth programme and marketing support alongside additional rebate rewards on qualifying Bestway delivered purchases as well as the business support provided by our teams.”
The future expansion of the Eddy’s Food Station network will see a combination of new sites and the conversion of existing convenience store locations.
Stephen Continued: “Expansion is very much front and centre for the brand and so we are continually scoping out further sites for future stores in key locations across Scotland.”
Mike Leonard, Head of Retail at Eddy’s Food Station said: “The quick development of the Eddy’s Food Station group is an indication of how strong the convenience sector is. It’s brilliant to see the beginning of the Eddy’s Food Station journey progress so quickly with many other exciting launches imminent. The success of the Alloa store and the growth of the brand is testament to Stephen and his expertise in the sector. I’m thrilled to be a part of the story which has and will continue to create significant new jobs and provide valuable services to Scottish communities.”